The Long Walk
by Pavell
Summary: For Joshua Cook, it's a long walk away from his dull life to the Pokémon League. But does he really want to be the very best? A coming-of-age story of adventure, friendship and growing up in the world of Pokémon (A revamped story)
1. Chlorophyll Dreams

**Prelude – Chlorophyll Dreams**

I …

It was the first thing that Bulbasaur thought, every time he was recalled. I. _Me_. The thing that is me, that is not another thing. This sort of circular thinking was rather more difficult to frame, outside. Here, it was obvious - something thought, and that thinking thing is me. It was a strange thing; once you know what 'I' means, all other thinking comes easily.

It was peaceful, here. It was always peaceful here. Within the circles of the Poké Ball, he didn't have a body. The thinking I was all there was, the ineffable sense of _me_, the _me_ that remained even when nothing else did. Away from the constant sensation of the world, from the experience of having a body, he could rest in a way that just wasn't possible outside the Poké Ball. If he chose to, he could perceive some of what was happening in the world. Sometimes he could hear his trainer, talking to him.

It was peaceful, here. Within the circles of the Poké Ball, Bulbasaur dreamed his chlorophyll dreams.

I …


	2. Choices

**Chapter One - Choices**

_If I go back, he'll just say that I quit again._

It was early morning, and the Pokémon Centre was near-deserted. The sky outside was just clouding over, and the few trainers who had stayed the night were heading out west towards Violet City. The Centre nurse loafed aimlessly about the lobby – hers was a small Pokémon Centre, serving the quiet roads east of Route 30.

A solitary trainer remained, seated heavily on a threadbare pouffe by one of the low lobby tables. A young man in his early twenties, he had a serious expression on his face as he stared unseeingly at the Poké Ball in his hand.

_I can't go back. I was bored out of my mind._

That thought had been running around his mind since he had left home. He laid down his Poké Ball on the glass top of the table. His reflection stared back at him – an oval face, with calm dark eyes. A head of tightly-curled black hair framed his features, half-hiding his ears. Narrow framed glasses rested on his nose, sightly bent out of shape from long use.

"What's the matter, young man?" a cheery voice asked.

"Hmm?" he replied, slightly startled. Nurse Joy stood looking down at him with an air of mild compassion. Preoccupied with his thoughts, he hadn't noticed the nurse's approach.

"Oh. Nurse Joy. It's nothing. You needn't worry about me, not with all your pokémon to attend to."

"Any other time, and you might be right. But I have no pokémon resting here right now. Besides, you look like you could use somebody to talk to."

Joy sat down opposite and laid her cap down on the table. She shuffled around a bit to get comfortable.

"What's on your mind? Come on, you can trust me!" she added in a sing-song voice.

"Y'know, I'm sure I can," he replied with a wry smile, "Though you're something of a stranger to me, and me to you."

"Is that what bothers you? Well, my name is Christine, since all my family are called Joy. I guess I'm not a stranger to you any more, am I?"

"Alright then, Christine Joy, you win," he said, smiling at the absurdity of her logic, "My name is Josh. I'm from Mulberry Town, if you know it. I've not been travelling for very long, just started out really ... I was never interested in pokémon. Well, not pokémon training, anyway. There's not a lot of opportunities in Mulberry Town. I've done a fair few office jobs, temporary work. All administering something very ordinary and irrelevant. Anyway, a few months ago I was filing some stock reports or something and I guess I just snapped. Quit. No more pushing paper around for arrogant middle-managers ..."

"What was it that changed?" Joy asked.

"Nothing changed, and _that's_ the point," Josh replied, "It was so terribly … boring! I just didn't care about what I was doing, and what I _was _doing was just so boring. I certainly didn't have to think much," he added bitterly.

Josh picked up his Poké Ball again, weighing it in his hands pensively. "I thought that being a pokémon trainer would at least be interesting. My dad got Bulbasaur from a Kanto League breeder when I was fifteen. Bulbasaur always seemed to like me most, so he became mine after a while." he trailed off into silence. Bulbasaur's Poké Ball seemed to feel heavier this morning.

"What do your parents think about your journey?" Joy asked after a while.

"Dad wouldn't come to see me off. He went to work instead." Josh said quietly. He had waited an extra hour before finally leaving the house, just in case. But Dad had gone to work, just as he'd promised. Because he thought his son was a quitter, that he would be back in Mulberry Town within the week. Josh couldn't bear to go home, to see that stern face looking back at him. Dad wouldn't be angry. Worse, he'd be disappointed, shaking his head in quiet vindication.

_I can't go back. I can't prove my dad right._

* * *

Later that morning, Josh swung his multi-pocketed messenger bag over his shoulder and left the Pokémon Centre. He'd left a little note on the counter to say thank you to Nurse Joy. She didn't need to be compassionate towards passing trainers and he appreciated the effort. She had told him the closest Pokémon Gym was in Violet City if he wanted to challenge the Gym Leader, but he didn't quite feel ready for Violet yet. Josh didn't like cities very much. He liked being close to trees, like the ones that lined the road east of Route 30. They were sprightly beeches and chestnuts, full of pidgey that fluttered onto the path to scratch about in the dirt. As he tramped tirelessly westwards, Josh smiled at the milder March weather. It was a good day for walking, especially with the outfit he'd developed after years of long walks.

Sturdy brown boots, that was essential. A good pair of boots would last for miles and miles. You could walk all day anywhere without as much as a blister. Sturdy trousers too, black, but that was just his preference. This pair had four nice, big pockets in for carrying bits and pieces like snacks and water. Like many trainers, he carried his only occupied Poké Ball on his belt.

Tramp, tramp, tramp. Josh thought there was something relaxing about walking. The simple purpose of getting from one place to another, he supposed. The March weather was still a bit chilly, and Josh was glad of his jumper. Black, like his trousers. Or at least, it was supposed to be. Wear had turned it grey, and thinner than it used to be. Over the top of it he wore a dark brown jacket, partly to keep out the wind but also to keep Bulbasaur's own snacks on hand.

As he walked, Josh thought about Mulberry Town. He wondered how everyone was in his absence. Most of his friends had begun to settle down, moving on to more ordered, settled lives. Quite probably, they were getting on as well as they ever have.

The sound of shrieking broke his reverie. Up ahead the path veered off to the left, obscured by thickening trees. Muffled sounds of feminine rage were coming from around the bend, getting ever closer. A pack of rattata scrambled around the bend, frantically trying to carry a backpack between them. And for good reason, as Josh saw with surprised fascination that they were being pursued by a girl boiling with fury.

"Get back here with my bag you thieves! Brigands!" she yelled, accompanied by much fist-shaking. Josh seized a rock and hurled it at the gang, by sheer luck catching one clean in the face. The rattata promptly scattered in all directions like little purple comets. The girl retrieved her backpack with a mixture of triumph and embarrassment, shyly throwing him a grateful look. She was definitely an older girl, probably in her mid-twenties. Josh was struck by her willowy figure and ever–so-slightly clumsy movements as she quickly checked her backpack's contents. She was wearing a burgundy coat with coffee-brown trousers along with a duo of pouches on her belt – all very sensible travel wear that would have faintly impressed Josh were he not distracted by something else entirely.

"Thanks … I can't believe those rattata managed to steal my backpack," she said, still acutely embarrassed, "I didn't expect them all to work together like that. Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Your surname isn't Joy, by any chance, is it?"

And there it was. For though her dress sense and temper were nothing like the nurses who so diligently ran Pokémon Centres everywhere, this girl looked exactly like a young Joy. The same bright blue eyes, the same shape of the face, almost the same hairstyle. Her expression, however, was now of annoyance.

"Why, whatever gave you that idea? My eyes? My hair? Perhaps my shapely nose? You didn't need to ask for confirmation!"

"Faulty assumption," Josh replied before he could stop himself, "For all I know you could be completely unrelated and by sheer chance look like a Joy."

The young Joy stood and glared at Josh, hands on hips. Then she noticed the Poké Ball at his belt. "Hey, you have a pokémon! Why didn't you just battle the rattata instead of blindly throwing rocks?"

"I … don't know," Josh confessed, "It didn't occur to me to battle with Bulbasaur."

Joy sighed. "You are at the same time the strangest and most interesting person I've met all week. The least I can do is offer you a little of my supplies. Care to join me for lunch?"

* * *

Ten minutes later, Josh was beginning to notice something else distracting about this strange Joy. He watched with a kind of vague interest as she tore apart a cheese sandwich like she hadn't eaten in days. By contrast, Josh ate very little. Frankly, he wouldn't have even bothered eating lunch had he not been invited to share.

"You never told me your name. Here. Have some fruit." Joy said between mouthfuls of cheese.

"It's ok, I don't usually get round to lunch. It's Josh, I'm from Mulberry Town if that means anything."

"Don't be silly, you should always eat three meals when you're on the road. Mulberry Town, that's not a big place, is it?"

"Not really, no," he replied, quite impressed that she managed to get such a coherent sentence out while simultaneously finishing what was left of her lunch. "I only know half of your name. What do I call you?"

"Evelina. Evelina Joy. Tea? This really is good for you, you look like you could do with some antioxidants."

"I have my own, thanks. So what takes a young Joy away from a Pokémon Centre?"

Evelina sipped at her tea for a moment and said nothing, giving Josh an intense look as if she intended to nail him to the spot with her eyes alone. Josh just blinked calmly at her in return. "I'm taking the Gym challenge," she said defensively. "It's not that I don't like looking after pokémon, I just don't want to be in a Pokémon Centre all my life!" Evelina folded her arms defiantly, as if daring Josh to disagree. Josh considered this, wondering what Evelina's mother had to say about this choice.

"Well, technically I'm taking the Gym challenge too. But it's not something I've been dreaming to do. Bulbasaur and I, we're just going to see where it takes us. So we're on the way to Azalea Town, I think. I heard there was a Gym there, and it's next to the forest. It sounds like as good a place as any to try and earn our first Badge."

"Uh-huh. So you'll be wanting plenty of practice before challenging the Leader, right? Come on, battle me!" Joy cried, drawing a Poké Ball from her pocket. "One-on-one, no time limit. What do you say?"

Josh automatically hesitated. Bulbasaur was in good health, that was true, but his only offensive attack was Tackle. He wasn't sure that was enough for a battle. Josh knew a little battle theory, but he had no real practical experience. Blast it, he thought. I'll have to start battling sometime.

Josh expanded his own Poké Ball in answer. "Go, Bulbasaur," he said, tossing the ball underarm, "Battle's on!"

"Go Ledyba!" Evelina yelled. The five star pokémon hovered in front of Bulbasaur, waving its arms aggressively. Bulbasaur growled back at it and thumped the ground with a foot.

"Ledyba? I thought they didn't like battling away from their swarm?" Josh asked.

"Not this one! We've been together for a long time now. You'd better believe she's ready for battle! Go, Tackle attack!"

"Out of the way!" Josh yelled instinctively. Bulbasaur leapt aside as Ledyba buzzed by, throwing up sand in her wake. He charged at Ledyba, trying to tackle her in turn, but Ledyba was too fast and climbed out of the way. "Stand your ground, Bulbasaur! It has to come to you sometime." Josh ordered. Bulbasaur growled up at Ledyba dancing in the air above it.

"That's what you think. Ledyba, show them your Supersonic!" Ledyba opened her mouth wide, and a piercing ringing noise washed over Bulbasaur. Josh could just hear it too, a discordant squeal that set his teeth on edge. _Ok, ok, I can figure this out. Leech Seed will slow it down!_

"Bulbasaur, Leech Seed!" he cried, but Bulbasaur was shaking its head and didn't seem to hear him. "Leech Seed, I said!" he yelled. This time Bulbasaur heard the command and fired a seed from the tip of its bulb into the air. The seed spun away several feet from Ledyba, not even coming close to a clean hit.

"This is our chance! Finish this with Comet Punch!" Evelina ordered with triumph. Her pokémon crashed into Bulbasaur with a barrage of punches from all six fists. Dazed from the attacks, Bulbasaur could only retreat and try to turn away from the worst blows. "That's enough, Ledyba. We've won" Joy said. "I don't want to hurt Bulbasaur more than I need to."

Josh sighed and held up his Poké Ball. As his dazed pokémon was drawn back into the ball, he gave Ledyba a resentful look. He was sure it was the wings that gave Ledyba the edge to win. Evelina was already industriously packing away her things.

"You've got a good heart, Josh. I know one when I see it. You did well to battle like that. Just remember to train hard if you want to win." She straightened up and stuck out her hand. Josh took it without a smile but shook with as much grace as he could muster anyway. "Maybe I'll see you again," Evelina said. She looked Josh in the eye. "Don't give up."


	3. A Real Trainer

**Chapter Two - A Real Trainer**

"Alright Bulbasaur, once more. Tackle!"

Bulbasaur spun around to face its opponent, a tenacious spinarak. Its trainer was a boy from one of the little villages on the outskirt of the pine forest. He was an impetuous young lad, full of dire threats and boasts of power. It wasn't lost on Josh that he was battling a truant schoolboy. Apparently the lad had been waiting in the woodland ready to ambush a passing trainer. Josh watched Bulbasaur charge over the loose litter of brown pine needles with a smile. Bulbasaur had grown used to battle in a matter of days and he seemed to enjoy it.

"Tackles won't stop Spinarak! You'll be sorry you came across me!" the boy yelled. He hopped excitedly from foot to foot. "Spinarak, Poison Sting!"

"Ignore it, Bulbasaur. You can take it," said Josh, arms folded.

Spinarak skrittered to the top of a dead log and spat a stream of bright slivers at Bulbasaur. Bulbasaur redoubled his charge, head turned away from the stings, eyes narrowed. With a leap and a battle cry he knocked Spinarak from its perch with a flying tackle. Spinarak tumbled off downhill and crashed into a pile of browned leaves, uttering weak cries of "Spinna … spinna …"

"That's victory, kid," said Josh.

"No it's not! Spinarak isn't done yet, he's still going!" the kid shouted back at him.

"Kid, its legs have gone limp. You've lost this battle, let it rest."

"We hadn't lost a battle in weeks till you came along! That pokémon isn't fair! Spinarak, return!"

Josh shook his head with disapproval, watching the truant boy run off downhill on the woodland path. He'd been getting this kind of response more often than he'd like these past few days. Some kid would challenge him and refuse to take no for an answer, then find some excuse to blame him for their loss. Bulbasaur was enjoying the exercise, but Josh found himself wishing for a trainer skilled enough to think their way through a battle.

Bulbasaur loped back up the hill, still full of energy. As Josh rubbed his head and bulb, Bulbasaur rumbled his contentment. Josh had always thought his pokémon was special. Bulbasaur was greener than usual for his species, his bulb a rich mossy colour. The irregular olive markings on his face looked a little like a starburst exploding across his brow. Time out in the fresh air was working its subtle magic – Josh was sure Bulbasaur had put on another pound or two since they had begun their journey. Josh sat himself down on a log, absent-mindedly feeding Bulbasaur nitrogen supplements. The journeying itself wasn't bad, at least. Clean air. Independence. Walking among trees that have been left to grow as they please. Mulberry Town wasn't a tree-friendly place. Trees were seen as safety hazards, to be cut back and tamed well before old age could leave them rotten and hollow.

"But we haven't learnt very much, have we old friend?" he murmured.

"Bulba?"

"These battles are too easy for you. You've had no room to grow. Too easy for me too …" Josh thought about the past two weeks, and all the times he and Bulbasaur had battled. All too often their opponent wouldn't _think_ about what they were doing. He found himself wistfully remembering the young Joy they had met on the way to Route 30. Now she knew how to handle her pokémon! He remembered her zest for what she did, the fierce practicality of her manner.

"Do you remember our match against Joy? With her ledyba? I wish we could have another battle like that," Bulbasaur leapt back and barked indignantly. "Don't give me that look. I don't want you to be hurt. I do want you to learn with me. Wouldn't a victory you had to fight for be worth more than a victory that didn't test you at all?"

Bulbasaur still looked rather uncertain. Josh heaved a sigh. His pokémon was easily pleased, that was the problem. It was his own fault. Pokémon pick up on the habits of their trainers, and Josh had never been seriously competitive before.

"Come on. It's getting late; we had better get to the next Pokémon Centre before dusk."

* * *

Route 32 runs southwards from Violet City, following the sea on the east and skirting the hilly forests to the west. The coastward road is well-maintained but long, crossing by fishing villages and travel lodges, but on the western side is the route less travelled, splitting into hilly forest paths that connect isolated highland villages. The villagers cultivate small orchards and plantations, powered by their own little solar or wind generators. Through those pine forests Josh walked on, trying to find a path passing north of Union Cave. The sun slid down in the sky, bringing a cold evening just as the forest path gave way to a village lane, bordered by raspberry canes on either side. A middle-aged woman in rough gardeners wear stood gazing pensively at the canes.

"Excuse me?" Josh called, "Whereabouts is the Pokémon Centre?"

"You're a little late. The Centre closed down ten months ago," she replied, still concentrating on the raspberry canes.

"What? But it's on the map …" Josh said, feverishly searching his pockets.

"I'm afraid news from here takes a while to get to the outside world. Maps tend to be a little out of date."

Josh pinched the bridge of his nose and heaved a sigh.

"Fantastic. This poses a problem …" The woman turned to look at him for the first time. She had shoulder-length blonde hair, and a kind, quizzical expression. "You see, I was hoping to stay at the Pokémon Centre for the night. I have no camping equipment and could have done with using the Centre cafeteria …"

"You shouldn't try and stay out in the woods tonight," the woman replied, her face all concern, "You can stay at the house for the night; my husband will make room for you on the sofa."

"Would you do that? I could pay you for the night." said Josh.

"Oh, nonsense! I would not dream of it! You can call me Mary, by the way."

"I'm most grateful for this" said Josh as Mary led him down the lane, winding round to a house tucked away behind a prickly hedge. The house was a sprawl of small extensions, some quite old, others obviously modern. The front door had a fresh spray of sugar pine fastened to it, opening to reveal a hallway as eclectic in age as the exterior. Mary led him inside, kindly but firmly insisting that he remove his boots. From the end of the hallway came an array of familial, domestic sorts of sounds. A man stepped round into the hallway, drying his hands on a kitchen towel. Tall, with a neat brown moustache he threw Josh an appraising glance.

"Another one for dinner, Greg," said Mary, "The lad was trying to stay at the old Centre."

Greg gave an approving nod. "Come on through," he said. The kitchen was scrupulously clean, except where it was populated by Mary's two small daughters. They pestered Josh with questions all the way through a huge dinner despite their mother's admonishments. Josh tried to answer them all as best he could, trying not to seem aloof. Greg said little but his wife couldn't be hospitable enough. Eventually Josh just had to ask the question that had been bothering him all through the meal.

"It's really nice of you to offer me all this, but how is it you have this much to spare?"

"The fridge broke again," one of the girls piped up.

"Mouth closed when you chew, Stephanie," said Greg in his slow voice, "Our solar generator hasn't been working as it should. Some mornings I wake to find the battery dead, and then there's nothing to power the irrigation lines. It's no big problem for an orchard owner, but we've got raspberries. They need their water."

"We've been over the generator a hundred times. There's nothing wrong with it. And it's our electrical power for the house, too. The food needs eating, you feel free," said Mary with a smile. Josh sat in thought for a moment. There was something vaguely familiar about the story.

"It happens in the mornings? So you've never found the battery dead halfway through the day?" Josh asked. Greg shook his head wearily. "I've an idea. I'll watch your generator tonight and see what happens. Call it payment for your kindness."

"Oh no, you don't have to pay us, son. I was going to do the same myself tonight in any case," Greg replied hastily.

"Sir, I insist. At the least I can be an extra pair of eyes for you. What do you say?"

"Well, if I can't change your mind. We'll go out at ten."

* * *

It was nearing midnight, and Josh had been half-hidden behind a bush with Greg for nearly two hours. The solar generator lay seven or eight yards in front of them, a concrete shed at the centre of a web of wires. This far away from the cities, the moon cast enough light to see by. Josh thought he could see shadows moving oddly in the tree line behind the shed. Was it a trick of the dim moonlight? Was it something moving?

Josh glanced back at Greg crouched stock-still beside him. He seemed to have a similar brand of quiet stoicism to his own father. Dad never said very much, at least not with words. No, Dad communicated with body language, with its own vast lexicon. Except, of course, when he was angry. Then he had plenty of words to shout.

The shadows under the trees were still moving oddly, as if trying to convince Josh that they had never moved at all … and then, low whines, drawn-out like stereo feedback, sounded out across the clearing.

"Did you hear that?" he whispered to Greg. Greg nodded slowly, trying to see where it came from. Then, shadows detached themselves from the treeline, gliding into the clearing. One hovered above the shed, silhouetted against the sky. It looked like a sphere with two crescent shapes on either side. "Magnemite!" Josh said in an excited whisper. Of course! It now made sense!

"HEY!" Greg roared, scaring Josh out his skin. In an almighty cracking of bush branches he jumped out of their hiding place, torch brandished at a trio of magnemite that were following the wires to the generator shed. They pivoted on the spot in alarm, staring inscrutably at Greg with their wide eyes, unblinking in the light of the torch beam. Then as suddenly as they had arrived, they scattered in different directions.

"You too, laggard!" Greg bellowed. There was one left, still hovering defiantly. Josh jumped up, filled with a strange excitement. He snatched at his belt for Bulbasaur. "Go Bulbasaur! Time to battle!"

Out popped Bulbasaur in a blaze of light, blinking curiously at the magnemite hovering before him. Magnemite swooped, but Bulbasaur leapt at the metallic pokémon without hesitation. The two collided in mid-air, Bulbasaur landing on his feet with a thump. Magnemite hesitated, as if startled.

"Another Tackle, go!" said Josh. He was confident Bulbasaur could win a battle of Tackle attacks. His pokémon duelled with the magnemite, trying to wear down its resolve as they leapt and dodged. The magnemite swooped in high from the left and it looked as though it might score a dead on hit. Josh opened his mouth to order Bulbasaur to dodge though he knew it would be too late.

Out from under Bulbasaur's bulb whipped a green vine that swatted magnemite aside. Bulbasaur spun round with a growl, extruding another and seizing magnemite with both vines. Magnemite started to whine, growing quickly in volume and pitch till it passed beyond hearing. Supersonic! Josh thought. As he frantically tried to think of a way to counter-attack, he saw Bulbasaur slowly glare up at the magnemite in his grasp.

"Could it be … ?" Josh whispered. With a deft flick of its vines Bulbasaur flung the magnemite into the generator shed. There was a sharp ping of metal on concrete – and then the magnemite was drifting to the ground, spinning drunkenly. Josh plunged his hand into a pocket, grabbing the first Poké Ball he found.

"Go!" he yelled, throwing it clumsily over arm. The ball spun erratically in flight, glanced off the dazed magnemite, sucked the dazed Pokémon inside, fell to the ground. There was dead silence but for the sound of the Poké Ball rattling fretfully as the button light flashed on and off.

… _ping!_

"... I caught it." Josh picked the now-silent ball up. The plastic felt cold in his hands. "My first capture." Bulbasaur wandered over and sat himself down next to his master, looking thoroughly pleased with himself. As Josh looked at the ball shining in the moonlight, for the first time since leaving Mulberry Town he felt like a real trainer.


	4. The Girl from Cherrygrove City

**Chapter Three - The Girl from Cherrygrove City**

The sun slid down in the sky, bringing a cold evening. The wind tasted of sea-salt as it came gusting in over Route 32. Up in the branches of a sturdy ash, a girl sat giving the landscape a critical look. North and south ran the road – tarmacked, and cobbled on either side to accommodate the frequent foot traffic. Westwards, a dirt track led to the uplands and then to the pine forests of the hills. To the south and east the trees thickened, marching on until they became the Union Wood. Somewhere hidden in a fold in the land lay the village of the same name, and the last Pokémon Centre of Route 32.

Evelina huffed ruefully. It was no good. Both she and her pokémon were tired from the day, her hair was full of salt, and she needed a hot meal. Whether she liked it or not, she'd have to spend the night at Union Pokémon Centre.

A soft yowl from above made her look up. Her meowth has found his way into the higher branches of the tree, where he now stood smirking shiftily down at his trainer. He had an air of coiled spring about him, with the ragged whiskers and scarred face of a cunning old street tom. Evelina looked back at the landscape, pretending to take no more notice of her pokémon. She swung a hand casually down to her sock, watching Meowth out of the corner of her eye.

"Return!" The recall beam struck Meowth mid-leap. My turn to smirk now, Evelina thought. Hiding the Poké Ball in her sock had paid off this time. She wasn't sure why Meowth insisted on playing this game. He was never disobedient in battle, and even if she missed him the first few times he would always return to his Poké Ball in the end. Maybe the street tom was just making a point.

Evelina clambered down from her tree and headed off down the southward road. The twilit air was filled with the sounds of pokémon bedding down for the night – pidgey muttering in the trees, wild mareep calling to one another in the fields. An ekans eyed her suspiciously from the long grass before slithering away on business of its own. Evelina took no notice. She was just too tired, stumping rather than striding down the road, her boots clacking on the cobbles. She was beginning to regret her decision to go looking for krabby among the rock pools that morning at low tide. The clashing waves had nearly drenched her to her skin as they foamed about the rocks. A waterproof jacket had staved off the worst of it, but even so her hair felt like it would crackle if she tried to run her fingers through it.

The world turned to shades of grey in the gathering dusk. The gibbous moon replaced the sun, and the shadows under the trees deepened to a charcoal black. Union Wood was now as dark as a cave, though the ribbon of the road stood out starkly in the moonlight. The sight of dark shapes flitting around in the air made Evelina pause her march. Their flight was rather erratic, but there were definitely three pokémon circling above her head. They were being careful not to silhouette themselves against the sky, keeping to the shadows cast by the trees. Something about their interest made Evelina want to reach for her Poké Balls … instead she reached for her Pokédex.

_Be-beep!_

"Zubat, the Bat Pokémon. Zubat rest in caves during the day, and emerge at nightfall. Zubat have been known to attack solitary travellers on the road."

Just a trio of zubat stretching their wings, she told herself, biting her lip. There's no reason to think that they'll attack. Maybe they're just curious. Yes, just three curious zubat, just stretching their wiiings! – something swooped past her ear, leathery wings flapping madly as it tried to land. She shrieked and beat it off. She grabbed a Poké Ball – Meowth's Poké Ball – and popped it open with shaking hands.

Meowth instantly swiped at a passing zubat, hissing with rage. "Double Team!" his trainer called out, and he leapt to obey. Evelina saw Meowth copy himself six, seven, eight times, fending off the zubat with precise Cut attacks. In the moonlight she could hardly follow the battle. The ringleader swooped in again. Meowth climbed his trainer like a tree and took a flying leap off her shoulder, claws outstretched and howling. He collided with the zubat, bearing it to the ground, raining down Fury Swipes.

"That's enough Meowth. To me," Evelina called, her voice shaky. The other zubat had fled in the face of Meowth's ire. Meowth backed off reluctantly, returning to his trainer for a scratch behind the ears. Evelina saw his chest rising and falling rapidly, though the proud tom tried to hide it. He was tired, but he'd found energy to battle when she needed him to.

"Well fought, you. Take a rest, huh? Let me take care of you now." Meowth didn't protest as she recalled him to his Ball. Too tired to argue. Evelina took a deep, shuddery breath and headed off again at a jog. Her tired legs gave no protest, the adrenaline coursing through her giving her one last push. The night pokémon rustled in the undergrowth – but reassuringly, the click of a zubat's echolocation was nowhere to be heard.

Presently, she came to a fork in the road. On the right, a wooden signpost pointed towards Union Cave. Left, and Evelina could see the village of Union Wood twinkling invitingly half a mile down the road. Union Cave will have to wait, she thought, and took the left-hand path.

* * *

Union Pokémon Centre fronted onto the village green, right in the heart of Union Wood. The Centre was some four hundred years old, converted from the village coaching inn. Built from stone and ancient oak, it was the kind of building that was just too old and strong to be knocked down. Where once the pub sign hung above the door, now there was fixed a large red P, backlit sharply with a halogen lamp. In all other respects, however, the inn looked much the same as it had for centuries - a quaint 16th century relic repurposed for modern times.

Friendly yellow light splashed from the windows and open doors. Inside, what was once the bar area was now a wide lounge, lit by electric sconces and backed by the main desk. Instead of the familiar crisp white plastic common to most Pokémon Centres, the desk was the remains of the old bar, an oaken construction worn smooth down the years by the hands of countless people.

A few scattered trainers were hanging out in the lounge when Evelina entered. A flatscreen TV murmured on the left-hand wall, while behind the main desk the Centre nurse was idly filling out paperwork. Well, there was nothing for it. Evelina gritted her teeth and approached the desk. Looking up, the nurse's smile remained steadfastly pasted onto her face, but Evelina spotted the tiny double take, the flicker of recognition in her eyes.

"Good evening," she said. No 'How may I help you', Evelina thought.

"My pokémon are exhausted and so am I. I need a bed for the night, if you have one."

"I'll see to your pokémon now."

"And the bed?"

"I think we have one available," Joy replied, unhelpfully. The two Joys stared at each other. Evelina decided that she'd had enough. "Look I know what you're thinking. And you know I know what you're thinking. So why don't you just say it? I'm too tired to play family games."

"You'd be the girl from Cherrygrove City? Gabriella's eldest."

"My _name_ is Evelina. I am a pokémon trainer, and I need a bed. Am I going to sleep here tonight or not?"

"There is space," Joy snapped, "Hand me your pokémon. I'll check them out – not that _I_ should have to."

"Sure you don't want to check my trainer's license first?"

Joy ignored the sarcasm and took the proffered Poké Balls, smile still glued to her face. Some of the other trainers had noticed the hostility at the desk and were guilelessly eavesdropping. Evelina gave them a full hands-on-hips glare, daring anyone to pass comment. No-one did. She leant on the desk drumming her fingers for a moment. She'd seen that look before. It was the same look she'd got at the Violet City Pokémon Centre. It was the same look she'd got from any number of relatives, when all the other girls were getting ready to go to nursing college.

Well, here was another aunt who certainly wasn't going to be her best friend. She might as well make the best of it. The other trainers still watching her out of eye corners, she smartly vaulted the desk, signed herself in, and helped herself to a locker key. Despite her scowl, Evelina was beginning to feel more optimistic. Her aunt may well at this moment be on the phone to the Cherrygrove City Pokémon Centre, but gossip was endless. Right now, what mattered was a hot dinner and a shower.

* * *

Half an hour later, Evelina sat sprawled in the shower, smiling to herself. Blessedly hot water ran in rivulets down her shoulders. Salt and sweat swirled away down the plug, and so too did the accumulated annoyances of the day. For now, in the steamy sanctuary of the shower, life was simple and uninterrupted. Later, it wouldn't be, but Evelina was sure she could put off being annoyed again until after dinner. For now, life was simple.

The shower room door opened and closed, somewhere beyond the veil of steam. Evelina ignored it. She was thinking about the adventure ahead. Azalea Town wasn't far now, not with Union Cave so close. A short jaunt through the Cave, then across Route 33, and she'd be on the doorstep of the Azalea Town Gym. Evelina giggled with excitement – another Gym, and another Gym Badge!

She could do with catching another pokémon, if she was to challenge the Azalea Gym. Not because she was liable to lose with Ledyba and Meowth. Bug-type pokémon weren't going to have a type advantage over her pair of scallywags. No, rather it was because she hadn't caught a pokémon since starting her journey. Meowth she'd caught a little over a year ago. Ledyba had been captured when she was sixteen. Each of her pokémon was special in their own way … Ledyba, aggressive and confident. Meowth, old and cunning. If she was to catch another pokémon, it would be a pokémon that was special in some way.

Not to worry, Evelina thought. I'll know it when I see it.


	5. Over Hill, Under Hill

**Chapter Four - Over Hill, Under Hill**

_**Joshua**_

Josh was sulking. Rain hammered down in silvery sheets and went gurgling away down the rocky paths. It drizzled off the ends of tree branches and dripped off pine needles. It whipped capriciously under shelters. Sat under the damp eaves of a hemlock, Josh watched the downpour sullenly. The paths north of Union Cave had proved more difficult than his map suggested. He had planned to cross over the mountain in a few hours, and so come to Route 33 well before sunset. The weather, though, had other ideas.

Thunder rumbled overhead. It should have been a clever plan. The road through Union Cave looked to be longer and just as difficult as taking the mountain path on his map. It made perfect sense to take the mountain path. To be stymied by a rainstorm – a rainstorm that had seemingly blown in from nowhere – was completely ridiculous.

The pokémon he shared the shelter with wasn't helping, either. Nestled snugly in the branches of the hemlock, a hoothoot watched him unblinkingly with its round, red eyes. The rain didn't seem to have bothered it at all. Josh scowled up at it.

"Did you get up early just to watch me get soaked?" Hoothoot just hooted insolently back. Josh's brow furrowed again. He was beginning to suspect that the owl was laughing at him. There was nothing to laugh at, damn it. Two, maybe three miles to the west the path ran until it came to the top of a wide valley. A swift stream ran through it, but there were steps carved into the rock – good, safe steps. It was called the Granite Pass, and going downhill it would have been possible to be in the next village well before nightfall - if it hadn't rained.

Just as Josh was considering throwing something at the hoothoot, the rain slackened off. Thunder still rumbled further up the mountainside, but here on the lower slopes the downpour slowed to a scattered drizzle. Josh emerged stiffly from beneath the tree. There was still enough time to reach the Granite Pass before nightfall. Reaching to his belt, he unsnapped a Poké Ball from its clasp. Time to get to know his new pokémon.

"Out you come, Magnemite," he said. Magnemite didn't seem to be surprised by its capture. It just hovered, gazing blankly at its trainer.

"Er. So. Magnemite," said Josh, "Looks like I'm your new trainer. No hard feelings over being caught, right?"

Magnemite stared back.

"We could be good friends, you know. Just ask Bulbasaur."

Stare.

"I thought we could walk to the pass together," Josh said. "Get to know each other, sort of thing. Er."

Stare.

"In a creepy way, you're kind of cute really," he said desperately.

Magnemite listed to its left. Josh tried to work out whether that meant Magnemite liked the compliment. Its constant stare was beginning to make his eyes water. He glanced down the slope to check on the weather. When he looked back, Magnemite was determinedly making its way up the mountainside.

"Hey, where are you going?" Josh shouted, "Get back here!" His pokémon made no answer, except to spin on its axis a couple of times. Josh growled in frustration and gave chase. His boots kicked up against the rocky ground and he stumbled as he ran. He fumbled for Magnemite's Poké Ball as he leapt up a steep slope. Damn it! Who would have thought a Magnemite would be so swift?

"You stop right there, you screwball!" he yelled. "Do you hear me – ow!" Josh slipped on the wet leaf litter and fell hard. The Poké Ball went bouncing away down the slope. Magnemite watched in wide-eyed interest as its trainer frantically ran to retrieve the Ball. Breathing heavily, Josh wagged a threatening finger at his errant pokémon.

"Mag-nemiiiite," it droned in return and was off again, winding randomly through the dripping pines.

Josh bared his teeth. Right, that tears it, he thought. He half-sprinted, half-leapt up the mountainside, dodging tree-trunks and ducking branches. A listing spray of sugar pine dumped a shower of rainwater down his neck. Cursing breathlessly, Josh trod heavily on a large rock and sent it tumbling away. "Geo!" it complained, swinging its fists. He skidded to a halt on a pile of needles, suddenly right in front of Magnemite.

And _leapt_.

"Gotcha!" he shouted in triumph, seizing his pokémon with a flying tackle. The pair tumbled and bounced wildly down the mountain until a pine log halted them with a jolt. Josh lay on the damp ground, clutching Magnemite firmly. His body started to register complaints – aching legs, thumping chest, banged head. A hollow boom split the air apart. Lightning flashed.

"Oh dear …"

The storm was closing back in.

* * *

The thunderstorm rumbled down the mountains, lashing the slopes with sheets of water. The raindrops hit the ground so hard that they bounced back an inch or more. Black clouds brought on an early night. Lightning flashed, turning the forest into a stark tableau of dark trunks and silver rain.

The storm had been hanging around the uplands for days, gathering in power as it went. Now it dumped its accumulated strength in one go, joyously throwing everything it had at the hillsides. Pokémon huddled under logs and boulders to wait it out. At the eastern end of Union Cave, the tallest pine in the forest was split in half by a lightning strike. Granite Pass was a torrent of white water.

In the midst of it all, a trainer zigzagged through the forest, lost.

* * *

Which way was west?

Josh squinted through the gloom. Raindrops clustered on the lenses of his glasses blurred his vision. He played the beam of his torch left and right, looking for a landmark, any landmark, that might give him a clue as to where he was. The illumination from the brief flashes of lightning was no help at all – all he saw was a barcode forest, ranks of dark pines stretching in every direction.

Not for the first time, Josh cursed the mountain path. He cursed Magnemite too, for its disobedience. Somehow during the chase he must have lost his bearings. In the dark of the storm he had no idea which way he had drifted, east or west, north or south. By the light of his torch he saw a cut-out view of the forest, a circular peep-hole filled with rain.

Which way was west?

He headed downhill, on the basis that would eventually take him down to Route 32, or 33. Downhill was the only recognisable direction at this point, anyway. Josh shivered. The rain had soon soaked him through to the skin, and now his old jumper sat heavily on his shoulders. He could feel his socks squelching in his boots, though the pounding rain drowned out all sound.

For the umpteenth time that day he slipped on a patch of scree. In the dark he couldn't see where to place his weight and so went tumbling down the slope yet again. Fresh scratches raised on his hands, with aching head he stumbled up to his feet. The torch hadn't broken in the fall – at least that was something.

An unpleasant tight sensation was growing in his chest. This is ridiculous, Josh thought, I'm never lost. But there were no landmarks! Nothing to recognise, nothing to steer by! Josh heaved down a few steadying breaths. Alright, calm down, he told himself. Keep heading downhill. He methodically panned his torch around again, and his heart leapt. There, further downhill, a gap in the forest! He was closer to the foothills than he'd thought.

Heading towards the gap with renewed purpose, Josh tried to wipe the rain from his glasses. It made no difference – the drops just smeared and were replaced in seconds anyway. The thunder seemed to grind and roar ever louder. Josh paused, confused. _Was_ that thunder? He strained to hear past the lashing rain. It sounded deep, throaty, not like the hollow boom of thunder.

A particularly bright lightning strike lit up the forest. For a few seconds Josh could see clearly. About twenty feet away, a fully-grown onix was watching him and roaring. Josh spat out a curse and fled. An onix! A bloody territorial onix! He risked a glance behind – it was following, still roaring. What was an onix doing out in a thunderstorm?

He changed direction, half-running, half-leaping downhill. Picking up speed, he laughed breathlessly. Try and catch me now, boulder-boy! The laughter died in his throat as the onix went crashing by like a runaway train, smashing trees like matchsticks as it went. It turned, head held low to the ground. It opened its mouth wide, and _screeched_.

The noise was awful. Josh clapped his hands to his ears, and screamed.

Josh wasn't sure how long the Screech went on for. His eardrums throbbed. Onix lay motionless amid the ruined trees, watching him. Josh wondered why it hadn't attacked. What was it trying to do? He looked past the onix to the tree-gap, looking for a nest or lair of some kind. The rain eased off a little, and scarce feet away, a flash of lightning revealed …

… yawning depths, sheer cliffs, a black chasm …

Josh hurriedly threw an arm around a broken tree trunk.

"Unk," he managed. He clutched the broken trunk like a child clinging to his mother, shut his eyes and waited patiently for the world to stop spinning. Eventually, the ringing in his ears dimmed a little, and he dared to let go.

"You were trying to warn me about the cliff, weren't you?" he said. The onix seemed to relax. Josh supposed that meant it had understood. It was an imposing pokémon, even in the gloom of the storm – a good thirty feet long, and darker coloured than most of its species. Its body was rounded rather than rugged, smoothened from years of tunnelling. The look it gave Josh was somehow _old_, like a stern but kindly grandfather.

It slithered a little way along the cliff. It turned back, staring expectantly. Josh followed cautiously, taking care to keep the onix between himself and the cliff face beyond. The old pokémon led him down a ledge that wound down the sheer side of the mountain. It kept glancing back to make sure that Josh was still there, seemingly unafraid of the yawning depths.

Eventually, the onix stopped at an apparently random spot. It coiled itself up a little, its massive bulk only just squeezing onto the path. Without warning, it roared and smashed its way into the cliff face. The ground rumbled and shook, the night filed with the elemental sound of rock grinding on rock as it squirmed through the mountainside.

Josh cautiously shone his torch down the tunnel. Tremors vibrated up from far underground. He hesitated, nervy at the prospect of following down an onix-burrow. He mentally shook himself. This old onix had stopped him from walking over the cliff edge, hadn't it? There was something in the look on its face – that grandfatherly expression – that suggested it knew very well what it was doing. Josh slid himself into the tunnel, took a deep breath, and was gone.

* * *

Deep underground, Josh headed for the light. Slithering down an onix-burrow turned out to be a difficult, undignified, grubby business. Josh had laughed to see a light other than that of his torch. Relieved, tired and sore, he slid down the last few feet into …

… a wide, airy cavern. A myriad of little pools dotted the cavern floor, perfectly still, mirror-flat. Each pool was limned with the phosphorescent glow of colonies of cave-bacteria, shimmering blue and green. Stalactites hung from the ceiling in their hundreds.

"Oh my …" Josh breathed. He'd heard stories of underground lakes in obscure corners of Union Cave. He wandered among the pools like a man in a cathedral. The shimmering waters threw shifting shadows across the cave. Light danced capriciously among the stalactites. Josh stepped around the pools with reverent care – to disturb mirror surface would be unthinkable, a sacrilege.

Union Cave! The old onix did know what it was doing. Exhaustion was catching up with him. Josh blinked hard, trying to focus on staying awake. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to lie back and rest for a few minutes. Just for a few minutes, he thought as he closed his eyes, and fell into a dreamless sleep.


	6. Matters of Grace

**Chapter Five - Matters of Grace**

_**Joshua**_

A grey dawn broke over Route 33. It was a pale, shivery sort of morning, cloaked in the subdued calm that comes after a storm. The sun rose lethargically through shredded clouds that hung high and wispy above the world.

Tucked under a bush, Josh lay in that content, fluffy place between sleeping and waking – not quite asleep, but not quite awake either. The morning air had a fresh, washed out smell, the smell you only get after rain. Sensations filtered in one by one – the rustling of leaves, hoppip piping, the feel of the sleeping bag.

A fuzzy thought rose in Josh's brain. _But I don't own a sleeping bag …_

Reluctantly, Josh made himself wake up properly. After a brief squint around for his glasses, he sat up and took a first look at the morning. He was lying in a grassy hollow, sheltered from the wind by a thick tangle of bushes. His clothes had been left to dry in the breeze, thrown over an A-frame fashioned from hazel sticks. Josh stared blankly at them. Vague memories of last night floated through his mind. Exhaustion. Finding a way through Union Cave. Coming to Route 33.

A metallic glint caught his eye, and Josh looked up at Magnemite hovering, and watching. For some reason best known to itself, it was slowly orbiting the campsite. The expression on its strange, artificial face was as inscrutable as ever.

"So you've decided to hang around then?" Josh asked sharply. Magnemite gave no answer. It was not, on the whole, a complicated creature but it had stayed by its trainer's side all through the night. Dead on his feet, his trainer had fallen straight into a deep sleep. In the grey half-light before sunrise a group of zubat showed rather a lot of interest in the sleeping trainer. Magnemite decided it didn't like that. It flicked electricity at them until they gave up and flew in Magnemite's electronic mind sensed that its trainer was annoyed with it. Magnemite decided to wait for an order, so it could obey and then its trainer wouldn't be annoyed any more.

Despite himself, Josh softened a little. Magnemite had been out of its Poké Ball all night and it hadn't wandered off. Maybe it was warming to him after all. That little magnet pokémon was a mystery.

The sleeping bag was another. It was a business-like affair; warm on the inside, tough and waterproof on the outside. The bag was dull green in colour, unadorned except for a single logo. It looked like a stylised Poké Ball superimposed on a black background, surrounded by a laurel wreath. A pokémon ranger's bag? Josh thought. The events of last night were still a little hazy. He could only assume that he had met a ranger last night, and borrowed this sleeping bag.

As he dressed and got ready to make a move, he sorted through the memories of the last twenty-four hours. They had a curiously unreal quality, as if being lost and wet and frightened had happened to someone else. In the calm of the morning, with the smell-after-rain rising off the turf, it was hard to really recall the heart-thumping fear of having nearly run off a cliff after being apparently chased by bull onix. And the memory of the cave, the magical dancing lights shining from mirror-perfect pools – that too felt like it had been something merely dreamt, or hallucinated.

Josh smirked wryly to himself. Damp clothes feel real - laying eyes on a natural wonder does not. That seemed like it should be the other way round. He swung his bag over his shoulder, hefted the now repacked sleeping bag, and went to look for the road.

* * *

The road to Azalea Town is a short one, running past wide fields until it bends north to meet the eaves of the Charwood. A trainer was hurrying west along the track, passing over the last few miles of the Route. His Magnemite trailed after him - stopping occasionally to stare at things - and by mid-morning he'd left the fields far behind.

Josh was feeling almost cheerful. Over the last few miles his clothes had dried out properly and he was confident that Azalea Town was no more than an hour away. On the right sparse evergreen woods lined the path; on the left rose a low outcrop of red clay. The smells of pine resin and wet clay mingled pleasantly in the cool air. He'd just stopped to read a signpost when a boisterous voice called out: "Yo trainer! How many Badges do you have?"

This was shouted down by a young man up on the outcrop. He was about Josh's own age, though taller and broader.

"None," he called back, "Why do you ask?"

"None at _all? _Aww, you're kidding me?"

"None as yet," Josh shrugged.

"Well, whatever," the guy slid down the steep clay with perfect balance. For some reason he'd decided to walk about as though he'd just come from the beach – light blue hoodie with a funky wave design, three-quarter length shorts, even sandals, for heaven's sake. His blond hair had a fashionably salt-damaged appearance, "You'll do anyway."

"I'll do for what?" said Josh.

"A battle, trainer, a battle. You won't win, but you'll do for practice."

"Practice. And what, exactly, guarantees you victory?" Josh asked coldly.

"Trainer, you're lookin' at an alumnus of the Dewford Island Gym!" he said with a smirk, "Name's Tyler Bradshaw, remember it, 'cause it's a name for a champion!"

Dewford Island. Josh had been there once, for a holiday. They had laughed at him, because he was skinny and nerdy, and he couldn't swim, much less surf, because he had a bulbasaur and not an aron. And then one of the pretty surfer girls had asked him out as he sat drinking bad coffee, with her friends laughing at him and waiting to see if he'd fall for it. Josh spotted the trap easily, but it didn't matter. He was still entertainment.

"I accept your challenge. One-on-one, no time limit." he said, unsnapping Bulbasaur's Poké Ball.

"Hah! One-on-one it is, trainer," Tyler said, "Go Machop!"

"Battle's on Bulbasaur!"

Tyler's Machop slowly pounded a fist into its palm in an attempt to intimidate Bulbasaur. Its oversized muscles rippled smoothly under grey skin. "Careful," Josh ordered. Machop looked hale and healthy – Josh wasn't sure what it could do. Bulbasaur paced at a safe distance, growling.

"Machop! Start it off," called Tyler, suddenly serious, "Karate Chop!"

Machop closed the distance at a run, arrow-quick. Bulbasaur deftly ducked under the first swing, and caught a backhand blow under the chin from the other hand. He threw himself into a roll and thumped back with a Tackle. Bulbasaur leapt again but Machop neatly dodged with a backward-roll.

"Keep your distance," Josh said, "Leech Seed!"

Bulbasaur fired the Leech Seed high on a classic looping trajectory. Machop side-stepped, darted in, and kicked Bulbasaur's legs from beneath him. Bulbasaur landed heavily and fired again. This time the seed was batted way with a casual flick of the hand.

"Bullet Punch!" Tyler ordered. Machop blurred and smacked a fist into Bulbasaur's side. A smirk was starting to form on Tyler's face as he watched his pokémon dart in and out. Josh smirked inwardly. _Got you_. "Leech Seed, fire it flat!" he called. Bulbasaur crouched and let fly as Machop stepped in for a Karate Chop. The seed whistled in and struck Machop on the arm, putting out a mass of tendrils and binding the arm tight.

Machop flailed its arm and tugged at the tendrils, but the seed held fast. The smirk had gone from Tyler's face – Josh could see Tyler knew as well as he did that the Leech Seed would sit there, quietly sapping away Machop's energy until Bulbasaur chose to reclaim it. And now Machop had dropped its guard …

"Vine Whip!" The vine made a loud _crack_ as the blow connected. Bulbasaur didn't give his opponent time to recover, smacking his other vine into the back of Machop's legs and scything it down like a stalk. Machop rolled to dodge one lashing vine only to take a stinging blow from the other.

"Machop! Use your Karate Chop and block the blows!" Tyler called.

"Keep up Vine Whip! Beat it down!"

Josh watched the battle clinically. Tyler's pokémon fended off Bulbasaur's Vine Whips with its forearm, blocking some blows, deflecting others. It can't keep up this attrition, Josh thought. Bulbasaur can reclaim the Leech Seed at any time to heal himself. This battle is mine.

"Grab the vines and pull, Machop!"

Machop's hands shot out and seized Bulbasaur's vines, faster than Josh had thought possible. _So fast_. Bulbasaur tried to tug free as Machop tightened its grip. A triumphant look flared in its red eyes. It yanked _hard_, dragging Bulbasaur to the ground. Bulbasaur howled in pain.

The Leech Seed unwrapped itself from around Machop's arm and flew back to its maker, bringing the stolen energy with it. Bulbasaur hauled himself to his feet and growled his defiance. Fierce pride welled in Josh's chest. Just look at that tenacity! Tyler was saying something, but Josh wasn't paying attention. The sight of Machop running in - fist drawn back for a Bullet Punch - snapped him back to the battle.

"Tackle!" he commanded, but Machop connected first. Bulbasaur Tackled in turn, but Machop simply rolled to its feet and thudded a Low Kick into Bulbasaur's side. Machop drew back its hand and swung. Bulbasaur, too tired to dodge, caught the Karate Chop behind the ear. "Bul!" he grunted almost resignedly, and lost his footing for a last time.

Josh held out Bulbasaur's Poké Ball and recalled his unconscious pokémon. _You tried so hard. _Tyler was laughing. Josh's heart sank. He'd really wanted to beat Tyler, to wipe that smug look off his face. They were so close to defeating him.

Tyler was still laughing at him. "Aww, man! Did I not tell you that I would win?"

"Calm down," Josh told him, "You just won."

"No, no, no, trainer. _You_ lost, and I crushed you!"

"You could at least win with grace. The is such a thing as sportsmanship, you know."

"Yeah, yeah, it's funny how losers only 'win with grace'!" Tyler said scornfully.

Josh began to frame a biting comeback, but thought better of it. It wouldn't matter how clever it was - Tyler would just laugh all the more. You don't have to lose with bad grace just because he wins without it, he told himself. He glanced round at Magnemite still hovering at his shoulder. It was staring steadily at Tyler. The patient intensity of its gaze struck Josh as somehow hostile. It whined its low, discordant stereo-feedback whine.

"Come on, Magnemite," Josh told it, "Let's go into town." He turned his back to his grinning opponent. Magnemite followed reluctantly, hovering backwards so as to maintain its stare.

"Hey trainer!" Tyler called after him, "How does being a loser taste? Does it taste bitter?" Josh shut his ears and ignored the cat-calls. He walked quickly, taking long strides down the red clay path till he was well out of earshot. Tyler's derisive laughter was still ringing in his ears. Josh wondered why that guy bothered him so. Guys like Tyler were common in this world, as far as he could see. They were the people who, as teenagers, had risen to the top of their little social ladder, and had stayed there. They were the people who were, in short, the cool kids.

Such juvenile class distinctions didn't matter any more. Josh was twenty-one. He hadn't considered himself a boy for a long while now, and it had been longer still since the casual scorn of his peers had got under his skin, as it had that one summer on Dewford Island. Maybe it was that, despite the fact that Josh was no longer a nerdy boy but a young man, Tyler was still acting like a boy of sixteen.

_If I ever meet him again, I will defeat him. And I will do it with grace._

Josh found himself standing atop a low rise in the land. On the right, the Charwood marched on towards the north. The path struck out west, away from the eaves of the wood down the hillside. There, it became a country lane, bordered left and right with farmer's fields. Beyond, perhaps a little over half a mile down the lane, Josh could see the outskirts of Azalea Town. Smoke was rising from chimneys, smudging the pale morning sky.

_Which means the Azalea Town Gym isn't far away … or my first Gym battle._


	7. Azalea Town

**Chapter Six - Azalea Town**

_**Evelina**_

The claw raked Ledyba hard across the face. She buzzed shrilly and corkscrewed away. A second Scratch attack ploughed a deep furrow into the dirt as she climbed out of her assailant's reach. The battlefield was a rough rectangle in the dirt, little more than a clearing in the thickly clustered trees. The glass ceiling of the Gym broke the morning sun into beams that lanced down through the budding treetops.

Ledyba hovered in a sunbeam, her gauzy wings flickering ethereally against the light. Her flight was slightly erratic – the telltale sign of the lingering effects of poison. Evelina glanced across to her opponent, a young man in cargo shorts, wielding his bug net like a poleaxe. He wore the worryingly earnest expression of a true bug maniac. He seemed to vibrate slightly, as if the sight of two Bug-types battling on the same field was altogether too much excitement.

"Comet Punch!" Evelina ordered. _Finish it quickly!_

"Dig, Paras!"

Paras promptly disappeared in a cloud of dirt. Evelina growled in frustration as Ledyba hurriedly pulled out of her dive. Still stalling for time! She wondered how long Ledyba could last under the sinister effects of Poisonpowder. Paras resurfaced at the edge of the field, clicking its mandibles and chanting "Parasparasparas!" excitedly.

"Tick, tick, tock!" its trainer called, "You can fly, but I can dig! What will you do now, Miss Joy?"

_Seize the initiative! _Evelina could hear her heartbeat drumming dully in her ears. This was where a real battle was fought – on the edge, where neither trainer knew what the other was planning, where strategies fell away and it was just you and your pokémon. She smiled a glinting smile. _Seize the initiative!_

"Let's finish this, Ledyba. Tackle, come in fast and low!" Her pokémon curled into a swift dive and sped across the battlefield. Paras' trainer stabbed at the air with his bug net, "Now, my pretty Paras! Rock Smash!"

Paras thrust out its claw like a spear, enthusiastically mimicking its trainer's stance. As Ledyba bore down, the little mushroom pokémon sprang up to meet it.

"Protect!" Evelina yelled joyously. A shimmering green bubble flashed into existence around Ledyba, flickering on-off just for a second. Paras bounced off the Protect as if it had been flicked away, flailing its little limbs desperately. Ledyba intercepted elegantly and pummelled it with a flurry of Comet Punches. The attack made a neat little _thrrrdp _as it connected.

Paras landed heavily on the dirt, its eyes even glassier than usual. It had fainted dead away. "Paras is unable to battle," called the referee, "The victory goes to the challenger, Evelina!"

Evelina let out a squeak and assayed a little jump on the spot. "Yes! We did it, Ledyba! Come here for an Antidote!" As Evelina carefully sprayed Ledyba's carapace with Antidote, the referee headed across the battlefield. He looked – and dressed – much younger than he was, with his outdoorsy shirt-and-shorts, boyish mop of dyed purple hair and yellow neckerchief. Leaning casually on his own bug net, he gave Evelina an appraising look.

"I've got to admit, Miss Joy, I had my doubts about you. But you fought a good battle – you've earned the right to battle me for the Hive Badge. I'll take your challenge as soon as your Ledyba's fully recovered."

"Thanks, Bugsy, but if I may I'd like to delay our battle," Evelina answered, wiping off excess Antidote, "I'd like to catch a third pokémon. Good girl, Ledyba. Return for now, huh?"

"If that's what you want. I'll be waiting. Ah, a new challenger? Welcome to the Azalea Town Gym." Bugsy said, looking over Evelina's shoulder. The newcomer was leaning casually against a tree with his arms folded. His clothes were travel worn, and there was a leafy twig sticking out of his hair, but Evelina still recognised him.

"Omigosh, you're that new trainer, the, the guy with the bulbasaur from Route 32! How've you been?"

"A friend from the road huh?" Bugsy said, "I know how that goes. If this is your first Gym, let me explain my rules to you. In order to challenge me, you must first battle one of my Gym Trainers …"

Evelina headed for the exit, leaving the Leader to his explanation. She wondered how long the bulbasaur trainer had been watching. Maybe the whole time – the heat of battle tended to tunnel her vision.

"… your battle performance against my Gym Trainer will allow me to decide how to test you in a Gym Battle-"

"Er, I appreciate your welcome, but I wonder if I might catch up with a friend, sort of thing. Excuse me … er, Evelina?"

_He remembered my name? _"Yes?" she said aloud. The young man had broken into a jog to catch up.

"That was a clever tactic you used back there. Luring Paras in and then using Protect."

"Oh, thank you! But it wasn't a tactic. At least I didn't plan it. But thank you."

"It was a clever tactic," he repeated. His solemn tone made Evelina smile.

"I'm sorry, but I've rather forgotten your name," she said hesitantly.

"Cook. Joshua Cook. Well, just Josh."

"Evelina Joy. But you already knew that," she said with a self-deprecating shrug, "Call me Eve."

The two trainers stood in silence for a moment. Evelina kicked her heels idly in the dirt. A hush had fallen on the woodland Gym.

"Have you got a spare moment?" she said, "There are some nice cafés in town, if you're interested?"

"Sounds good to me," Josh answered, "It's a nice morning for coffee."

* * *

All along Old Village high street, the azalea was in bloom. The high street is an airy boulevard, where ivy climbs the picturesque timber-and-stone buildings so iconic of Azalea Town. Wrought-iron lampposts line the cobbled streets, bearing bright little banners that flutter and snap in the wind. Everywhere you look, the azalea blossoms in the sun – thousands of little star-shaped blooms shining magenta, orange and white.

Evelina and Josh sat in the shade of an awning on the café patio. They'd tucked their bags beneath their seats, and the warmth of the late morning sun had forced Josh remove his old grey jumper. Eve had unzipped her coat and was enjoying the westerly breeze that blew from across the river. She sat with her chin resting on her hand, gazing dreamily at the street. Azalea Town in the springtime was so _pretty_. Josh was leaning back in his seat, a curious little half-smile on his face. He still hadn't noticed the twig in his hair.

"It's a charming sight, don't you think? Old Village. Quite a nineteenth-century charm." she said.

"Yes … it's nice to see a pedestrian town centre. High streets should be for walking. You were right about the café," he added, "It's in a lovely spot."

"A welcome change after Union Cave, huh?"

"I didn't come through Union Cave. Not all of it, anyway. I took the mountain path."

"You did not! There was a storm over Union Cave last night!" Eve said accusingly.

"Don't I know it. I had to go down into the Cave and walk on to Route 33. I was so exhausted, I'm still not quite sure how I managed it."

Eve gave him a surprised look. In last night's downpour it would have taken an excellent woodsman to find a way over the hills. "So how did you find your way back into the Cave?" she said.

"I had to slide down an onix burrow. Which rather explains the state of my clothes." he said apologetically.

Eve's hand flew to her mouth, stifling a small gasp. She had to admit, she was a little impressed. Not many people would dare go poking around an onix burrow, storm or no storm. "You went down an onix burrow to get out of the rain." she said with a giggle.

Josh waved his hand vaguely in an embarrassed 'it is what it is' sort of gesture. There was a fine cut on his palm that he apparently hadn't bothered to put a plaster on. At that moment, a notepad-wielding waiter materialised, asking for their orders.

"What? Oh, er, medium black coffee please," said Josh.

"You mean an Unovera, sir?"

"What?"

"An Unovera, sir."

"Is that a black coffee with no trimmings?" Josh demanded.

"Um. Yes sir?" the waiter returned hopefully.

"All right, a medium Unovera, then."

"We don't have medium, sir," the waiter said kindly, "We have piccolo, ordinario, grande, and troppo grande."

Josh gave the waiter a cold stare. Beside him, Eve had her hand pressed firmly over her mouth, jaw clenched to keep in the giggles. There were little tears at the corners of her eyes.

"Grande," he sighed, "A grande Unovera. Please."

"Grande cappuccino," Eve managed. She coughed a few times to clear the last of the giggles. Josh looked at her sidelong, but there was that curious half-smile on his face nevertheless. We're actually having a nice time, she thought.

"You know Eve, I noticed something about you, back at the Gym. First thing you did after you won was to reach for an Antidote," he hesitated, as if unsure of what to say next, "Why did you decide to be a trainer? I mean, you obviously care for pokémon. But you could do that as a nurse. Er."

Eve drew breath for a defensive tirade … and then she saw the worried half-smile and stopped herself. He's just asking, she told herself. Do you really want to snap at him? She gave him a brittle smile, feeling a little foolish for being defensive.

"What you have to understand about us …" she began, "Look, it's like this. For the girls in our family, pokémon medicine is what we do. When I was little, after school I'd be helping out in the clinic before I did anything else. I'd be working half of my weekend in the Pokémon Centre. All the other girls enrolled straight into nursing college the moment they left school. And as soon as they graduate, they'll become pokémon nurses, pokémon doctors, Pokémon League breeders," she heaved a heavy sigh, "A Joy lives her entire life for someone else. It's not that I don't think it's a worthwhile life, but … I'm twenty-three. I want to live for myself for a while! I want to see some of the world. I want to achieve something that's just for me. I don't need to be the Champion. I just … want to be my own woman."

Josh was still patiently listening. "You probably think this is all kind of stupid -" Eve started.

"No, no, I get it. You want to make your own choices," said Josh.

The waiter glided up, their coffees in hand. He set Josh's Unovera in front of him with exaggerated care. Eve couldn't help but glance across at it – yep, black coffee with no trimmings. The waiter hadn't dared to bring any biscotti. She took a long sip of her cappuccino. It wasn't very good.

"So aside from climbing down onix burrows, what have you done since I met you?" she asked.

"Well, I caught a magnemite. Though I didn't intend to at the time," he replied, "It was up on Route 32, in the western highlands. Er. Whatever this magnemite was doing up there in the first place, I'm not sure …" It was beginning to dawn on Eve that he was conscientiously trying _not _to look at her face. She casually raised a questing hand -

- and discovered a splendid foam moustache clinging to her lip. There was a moment of silence as she hastily brushed it away with the back of her hand. Josh's face twitched into a smirk. "Serves you right for drinking cappuccino," he quipped dryly.

Eve started to giggle. It really wasn't funny, but right now she was prepared to laugh at anything. Josh started to giggle to her giggles, and soon they were both laughing freely, tension and nerves washed away by a foam moustache.

"So what's this magnemite like? Is it a good battler?" said Eve.

"I have no idea. I'm not even sure what moves it knows."

"I know how to find out," said Eve, pulling out her Pokédex. It was a slim model, brushed-silver in colour. She pushed a large blue button near the bottom and flipped it open.

"Is that a Pokédex?" Josh asked, watching as Eve drew out the stylus.

"Yep. The HANDY912i, as it happens. Hand me Magnemite's Poké Ball? Thanks." She fumbled for a moment and slid out a wafer-thin screen from the right hand side of the Pokédex. It flashed into life, glowing orange-red with a number of arc-like shapes drifting gently around the edges. As Eve held it over the Poké Ball, the shapes converged and spun purposefully.

"The Poké Scanner retrieves data from the Poké Ball," Eve explained, shuffling her chair round so Josh could see, "You can see Magnemite's ID number, gender, its Ability, and look – its moves."

"Tackle, Supersonic, Thundershock and Sonic Boom," Josh read out. "Oh, and the Magnet Pull Ability."

"Not a bad set of moves for the little guy. Here, let's take a look at your bulbasaur!"

As they sat and talked in the sunshine, Eve decided that she rather liked Josh. He was full of half-smiles and dry quips – and he listened, really listened. It was as if he was carefully taking notes as she spoke. She told him about her meowth and his sly habits. Halfway through, he finally noticed the twig stuck in his hair. Eve just kept chattering on, pretending not to notice him surreptitiously pull it out.

"So next I'm going to catch a new pokémon, I think. How about you?"

"Well … I was going to challenge the Gym but I think I'll work on my strategy first. Magnemite's never been in a battle. To tell you the truth, I'm not even sure it really listens to me."

"Why not go challenge the Gym anyway? If you want to know whether Magnemite listens to you, there's no better way than just battling!" said Eve, "Look, what's the worst that can happen? You lose. You can always go back and try again, and either way you'll have learned something about Magnemite."

Josh drummed his fingers on the table. Eve could almost see the cogs turning in his head as he thought it over.

"Hmm. I can't fault that logic," he said eventually. He finished what was left of his Unovera. "Alright! I guess I'm off to challenge the Gym then."

"Yay!" Eve said, a little louder than she'd intended, "I do have one question then."

"What's that?"

"Can I join you?"

* * *

To a pokémon trainer, a Badge is not just a pin. The capital letter is important. It is proof of a trainer's skill, emblematic of the long walk to the Pokémon League. In a way, earning a Badge is a highly _tangible_ achievement. Earn eight Gym Badges, and you earn the right to compete in the League. That was the way it always was. A Badge doesn't gain or lose value in the way a diploma might. An employer may argue over the value of a university education, but a Badge is always a Badge.

There was an orchestral movement that summed this all up. Which symphony it was from, Eve could never remember, but she knew it by its popular name as the Pokémon League Anthem. Endlessly adapted and remixed, it played in Pokémon Gyms and in the Halls of Fame. Opening ceremonies of the regional tournaments were accompanied by the full magnificence of the Anthem. For Eve, it was musical shorthand for the pride and glory of success fairly earned. It was music to be _inspired_ by.

"Hmm. Hm-hm-HM-hm-hmm …" she'd been absent-mindedly humming the Anthem as she and Josh made their way back to the Gym. Josh was somewhat quieter – deep in thought, now and again he had murmured cryptically to himself. Probably strategising, Eve thought.

No music played to greet challengers at the Azalea Town Gym. Inside the dome of the Gym, a busy silence reigned. Bugs rustled suspiciously in the undergrowth and peered down from treetop perches. On the battlefield Bugsy had gathered together his Gym Trainers, many of them leaning on bug nets in mimicry of their leader. Bugsy's face cracked into a confident smile when he spotted Josh.

"So challenger, you've come back! Nice to see you too, Miss Joy. Can I assume that you want to battle one of my Gym Trainers?" he said.

"You can," Josh said, "I'm here to challenge the Gym."

"Step up to the field, then. Benny, you'll represent the Gym this time. What's your name, challenger?"

"Cook, Joshua Cook. Of Mulberry Town."

Benny took up position on the other side of the field. He was much younger than Evelina's opponent had been, still very much a boy in his straw hat. The other Gym Trainers formed a ragged line behind him with a rattle of nets and bait boxes. Benny was casually tossing a Nest Ball up in the air and catching it.

"Careful, Josh," Eve said, "He may be young but he's still a Gym Trainer."

Bugsy took the judge's place at the edge of the field. Eve couldn't see Josh's expression as he selected a Poké Ball from his belt.

_Crack!_

The click of the clasp unsnapping rang in the expectant silence. Josh was rolling the reduced Poké Ball around his fingers.

"This battle between the challenger, Joshua Cook of Mulberry Town and Benny of the Azalea Town Gym is about to commence! Each trainer will use one pokémon! A Gym Battle is at stake!" Bugsy called.

_Booip!_

Josh expanded his Poké Ball. Eve thought she saw him fumble at the button for a moment. Was that a moment of nervousness?

"Begin!"


	8. Better Judgements

**Chapter Seven – Better Judgements**

_**Joshua**_

"Go, Venonat!"

"Magnemite, go!"

The hollow bangs of their Poké Balls opening echoed sharply in the still air. Josh's mind whirred as he analysed the situation. _Venonat. Bug/Poison-type. Excellent type advantage-_

"Show them your Sleep Powder, Venonat!"

Venonat shook itself violently, throwing out a billowing wave of glittering blue dust. Unconcerned, Magnemite hovered motionless as the cloud spread rapidly over the battlefield.

"Sonic Boom!" Josh ordered. The shockwave sliced across the field with a deep crack, whirring through the Sleep Powder and washing over Venonat. As it cried out in pain the glittering cloud boiled and whirled angrily, sweeping back onto its maker. Caught between the Sonic Boom and its own Sleep Powder, Venonat stumbled about in confusion.

"Venonat!" Benny cried, "Come on buddy, stay awake!"

"Thundershock!"

Magnemite almost casually threw an arching bolt of electricity at the drowsy Venonat, shocking it badly before it could work out what was happening. The smell of ozone cut through the strange sweet smell of burned Sleep Powder. Benny was beginning to look worried. He was starting this battle on the back foot, and Josh could see that he knew it.

Josh watched Benny's Venonat pull itself together and chirp gamely in its echoey voice in spite of its injuries. His own pokémon drifted passively, little yellow sparks snapping lazily off the edges of its magnets. _Looks like Magnemite knows it has the advantage, too._

Benny's face screwed up into a frown of concentration. "Alright challenger, you got me good there!" he said, bouncing impatiently on the balls of his feet, "But you won't win that easy - Venonat, Psybeam!"

Venonat bounded high into the air from a standing start. Bright kaleidoscopic rays burst from its eyes, zigzagging crazily through the air in a whirl of weird colour. Magnemite watched it from the corner of its eye.

"Dodge it!" Josh yelled. Magnemite ignored him. The Psybeam struck home, haloing Magnemite in rippling colours. Venonat landed gracefully and immediately set off at a run. Magnemite tried to turn to watch Venonat as it darted in and out of its blind spots.

"Psybeam, Psybeam! Again and again!"

Venonat launched Psybeam after Psybeam, running in tight little rings around Magnemite as it did so. Every time the little magnet pokémon turned to face its aggressor another Psybeam would strike home from a different angle. Josh shouted commands to dodge over the fizzing psychic power – psychosomatic burn marks were starting to appear on Magnemite's steel body.

_Why won't you evade? _Josh's hands involuntarily curled into fists. His pokémon was taking serious damage from the relentless barrage despite its natural resistance to psychic attacks. _You're getting hurt because you're not listening to me!_

"Will you bloody concentrate?" he roared, "Stop watching and start dodging! Now!"

Venonat spun and launched yet another Psybeam. The zigzagging ray fizzed towards Magnemite -

- and missed as Magnemite ducked beneath the attack. It made a complicated spin on its axes to avoid a follow-up attack that scorched the limbs of an unlucky tree.

"Alright Magnemite! Supersonic."

Though he was standing well behind the cone of effect Josh could still hear the electronic whine of Magnemite's Supersonic. Caught in the full blast, Venonat should have been beginning to feel dizzy, but it just stood there apparently unaffected. Benny was even smiling, doing nothing to counter the attack. He calmly adjusted his hat and waited for Magnemite to give up.

"My buddy Venonat won't be hurt by a Supersonic. This is a Bug-type Gym, you know. Supersonic happens all the time here," he said with a grin. "Now let's wrap things up – Sleep Powder, again!"

"You don't learn quickly, do you? Sonic Boom."

Once again, the cloud of Sleep Powder burst apart from the force of the Sonic Boom passing through it.

"Disable!" Benny called.

"What?" Josh snapped. For the briefest moment both Venonat and Magnemite were haloed with a bluish glow. Josh was beginning to have a creeping suspicion that he'd just been trapped somehow.

"Disable binds the last move used by the target, preventing its further use during the battle, Joshua." Bugsy said from the sideline. His expression was hard to read.

Josh growled under his breath. He'd been skilfully trapped into giving up his counter-strategy. _So Sonic Boom is unusable. Fine._ _I still have this move …_

"Finish this. Thundershock." he snapped.

Venonat tried to evade just a little too late. Magnemite zapped it thoroughly where it stood. When it was over, sparks were crawling across Venonat's fur, and it was twitching violently.

"Venonat! Can you still go on, buddy?" Benny cried.

"Recall your pokémon, Benny," said Bugsy, "This battle is over. Victory goes to the challenger."

From somewhere behind him Josh heard Eve clap her hands in delight. She rushed forward to clap him on the shoulder. "Heyyy!" she said, smiling at him sunnily, "First battle with Magnemite and you win, not bad! Oh ..."

Her smile faded. She'd seen the look on the Gym Leader's face.

"You won that battle, Joshua, but you didn't earn it," he said bluntly, "You would have lost were it not for type-advantage. I will accept your challenge because you won," Bugsy paused for a moment, "However, I can't be beaten on type-advantage alone. I suggest you go and bond with your pokémon, and don't come back until you and your magnemite understand each other better."

Josh's jaw clenched. Didn't earn his victory? After figuring out a powder counter-attack in the time it took to walk to the Gym? Well if Bugsy thought that he, Joshua Cook, was going to stand and be scolded like that by a man wearing a _boy scout's_ uniform, then -

- Magnemite drifted a little closer. It was gazing vacantly at nothing from under its eyelid. Its steel body looked dull, blemished with brown burns from Psybeam impacts. Despite the fact that it had almost nothing to express itself with, Magnemite looked tired.

_Without type-advantage, I would have lost_. The treacherous little thought put the truth to the matter. Josh knew nothing about Magnemite. He didn't understand its moods, its habits, its limitations … Josh could tell at a glance what kind of mood Bulbasaur was in. When Bulbasaur was feeling tired or ill or just fed-up, Josh knew, every time. What's more, he knew what to do about it. Watching Magnemite's vacant gaze, Josh realised that he hadn't the slightest idea how to treat an injured Magnemite – a living thing in his care.

Josh knew nothing about Magnemite. And as long as he didn't understand his pokémon, he would not be ready to battle for a Gym Badge.

"Return, Magnemite," he commanded. With a stiff bow to the Gym Leader, Josh strode swiftly from the battlefield. He didn't stop until he was through the doors and out into the morning sun.

"Hey! Wait up a sec," Eve called, "That was a tough battle, huh? Magnemite listened to you in the end though, and you've won yourself a Gym battle!"

Josh stood and stared at nothing, steadfastly refusing to look at her. For some reason he couldn't quite understand, he resented the Gym Leader's scolding all the more for having been witnessed by Eve.

"... are you ok?" she asked. Still not looking at her, Josh took a deep breath before answering.

"I don't like being talked down to," he said shortly.

"Bugsy was a little harsh. Having a type-advantage isn't a bad thing, and anyway you were at a disadvantage with a new pokémon too -"

"Eve," Josh cut in, "He was right. I'm not ready yet."

Magnemite's Poké Ball shone in the sun. For a brief moment, it almost looked like it had in the moonlight back on Route 32.

"You were right, too. I've learned something about Magnemite. Just not enough," he said.

"So what are you going to do now?" Eve asked carefully.

"First I'm going to the Pokémon Centre," Josh said, snapping the Poké Ball back onto his belt, "Then I am going to learn everything I can about Magnemite."

Josh looked at Eve for the first time since leaving the Gym. She was fiddling with her jacket zip nervously. Feeling a little guilty, Josh forced a smile.

"And then … I am going to _train_."

* * *

The common room of the Pokémon Centre was bigger and busier than any Pokémon Centre that Josh had yet seen. Not one, but three queues of trainers were lined up in front of the reception desk, which was attended by the Centre nurse and her two teenage daughters. Off to the right, trainers were taking the escalator from the bedrooms on the first floor or heading to the Centre canteen. Over to the left, in the open-plan lounge, a widescreen television showed coverage of recent battles from the Goldenrod City Gym. A few trainers were idly watching while they waited for their pokémon to finish treatment.

Josh drummed his fingers on the desktop, the sound drowned out by the general background buzz of the common room. Eve had sloped off a little earlier, muttering something about needing to stock up on medicines. Since neither of them intended to challenge Bugsy just yet, they'd decided to stay at the Pokémon Centre while he trained and Eve looked for another pokémon to catch.

"Ok, Joshua," the young Joy said as she handed his trainer's licence back, "Your magnemite's all checked in now. We'll keep you updated on its progress on the bulletin board."

Josh glanced up at the electronic bulletin board that dominated the back wall of the common room. The huge board displayed the status of all the pokémon undergoing treatment at the Centre. Magnemite's icon flashed up next to Bulbasaur's near the bottom right of the screen, marked with the status 'At Rest'.

"Is there anything else I can help you with?" Joy asked.

"Oh. Yes, actually! I have something belonging to a Pokémon Ranger who patrols Union Cave, I think. Could I leave it here?"

"Ohhh, you're _that_ Joshua! Here, this letter was left here for you this morning," Joy said, handing him a folded-over sheet of notepaper. Josh unfolded the letter, noticing the Poké Ball-and-laurel logo in the corner:

_Joshua,_

_If you are reading this note, then I was correct in my estimation of you. I hope you have learned a little lesson about the mountains. You were lucky that Onix found you when he did. As for the equipment that you have been so honest as to try to return, please keep the sleeping bag as a gift. It is of old Ranger issue and was destined to be sold on as surplus, but there is plenty of wear left in it, more than enough for your purposes._

_Good luck!_

_Area Captain David Sandoval_

Josh thanked the teenage Joy, who was shamelessly trying to read the letter upside-down. As he made his way over to an empty space in the lounge, he realised that he hadn't actually made any plans to hang out with Eve. After leaving the Gym, when they had exchanged phone numbers, it hadn't occurred to Josh to think twice about it.

Grumbling to himself, Josh turned up the volume of the Pokégear velcroed to his jacket sleeve. It was one of the heavy wristwatch-style Pokégears – big, blunt and robust. Already it had been scuffed, soaked and sat on by Bulbasaur yet it showed no sign of giving in. Though it was inelegant and unfashionable, Josh privately approved of the way his boot had completely failed to dent the fascia after he'd stomped on it.

He sighed and tried to tune out the chatter of the common room. Newspapers were scattered over the lounge, mostly Johto regional papers with the odd local publication. Josh rummaged around until he found what he hoped was there – a single spurned copy of the _Punch Times. _He smirked at the political cartoon on the front page and started to work his way through the sniggery articles. Halfway through an editorial on the state of the economy, his Pokégear started to ring. That'll be Evelina, he thought, ripping it off his wrist.

"Hullo?" he said.

"Hello Joshua," a stern voice answered.

"Oh. Hi Dad."

"Your mother's been trying to call you. Where are you?"

"I've been out of reception range, Dad! I'm in Azalea Town, I only got here this morning."

"Azalea Town," his father paused for an uncomfortably long moment, "Have you challenged the Gym Leader yet?"

"I've got to do some training first, the Gym Leader would beat me as it stands -"

"How do you know?" his dad cut in, "Just go for it. You're a smart boy. Just go for it, and challenge the Leader."

"Dad … it's not as simple as that. The trainer battle was hard enough. I'm not going to let my pokémon get hurt because I'm not ready," he said. Josh heard his dad sigh heavily, and he suppressed one of his own. He knew what was coming next.

"Josh, Josh, Josh … you've got eight Badges, eight battles ahead of you. Eight Gym battles that are _going to be tough_. You've got to learn to just go for it."

So my judgement is wrong as usual, he thought bitterly. _Will he never accept that sometimes I might know better than him? _Josh didn't trust himself to say anything. The old argument was just one wrong comment away.

"So what _have_ you done?"Dad said.

"I caught a magnemite," Josh said hopefully, "Up on the highlands on Route 32."

"Did you? Good. Magnemite aren't easy to handle."

"Yeah. Yeah, it's a tricky little screwball."

"You'll have to tell me how you caught it. I've got to get back to work now, though. Your mother's going to call you this evening, so watch your phone!"

"Yeah. I'm staying in the Pokémon Centre tonight. I'll talk to you later Dad."

Josh strapped the Pokégear back onto his jacket sleeve, picking at bits of fluff in the velcro. That was the problem with talking to his dad, right there. He always thought he knew better, about everything. The man managed to find something wrong with every choice he made for himself, and when Josh did things his own way anyway – well, that's when they'd start shouting at each other.

_Ding, ding, ding-ding-ding!_ Trainers looked up at the bulletin board as the Centre's PA system chimed out. Someone's pokémon were healed.

"Joshua Cook, your bulbasaur is fully healed."

Josh tossed the newspaper aside. There was work to do.

* * *

There was a library on the eastern side of the building, crammed into a single room adjacent to the canteen. Most Pokémon Centres had one – licensed trainers could borrow books for free if they returned them to the same Pokémon Centre, or pay a small fee to return them to any Centre in the region. At this time of the day there weren't many trainers browsing the bookshelves. The librarian peered at Josh from behind the counter, as if looking for a book was highly suspicious behaviour.

Josh took a deep breath. To him, libraries smelled of dry words and crackly pages of knowledge quietly fossilising between dust jackets until someone curious needed to know something … somewhere in this library he was sure there was a book that could tell him what he needed to know about is little screwball. In its own way, it would be the key to winning his first Gym Badge.

Josh polished his glasses, and started to train.


	9. The Beast of the Sea

**Interlude - The Beast of the Sea**

Under the grey waves, the beast of the sea beat her great wings and picked up speed. Her feathers flashed silver-white when they caught the weak rays of dawn. Forty feet long from her draconic head to the tip of her tail. The sea surged at her passing, waves clashed in her wake. The beast was old, old and strong. In the open ocean nothing could match her - she could swim fastest, dive deepest, and never tire. In the shallow waters off Blue Point Isle, however, things were different.

The pursuing humans kept pace, the saw-toothed buzzing of their jet-skis filling the beast's ears. They had ambushed her in the grey half-light before dawn, twelve of them, appearing out of nowhere with a roar of engines. Try as she might the beast couldn't outrun them, not in these waters. Raising her voice above the din, she let out a high, lilting cry. For those that could understand, it meant: _I am here! Be somewhere else!_

In a flurry of light the hunters finally released their own pokémon – a whole flock of golduck, almost thirty of them slashing their way through the water. They spread out rapidly, taking up position above, behind, below. The beast instinctively threw up a Safeguard. A group of golduck closed in on Aqua Jets – the beast swept them away with a beat of her wings. Psybeams stabbed into her back, burning away streams of feathers that glittered like silver cinders before they dissolved into the sea.

Chased by Psybeams the beast twisted, undulating like a serpent in an effort to dodge the worst of the attacks. A brace of Water Pulses battered into her belly. In her youth she might have been nimble enough, but now she was old, strong and long. The golduck flock continued to harass her, spreading out to attack from all angles.

This was not the first time that the beast had been hunted by humans. On these islands her kind was well known to humanity, the beast knew. Most of the islanders venerated her kind, but some would always try their luck and try to capture her. These hunters were clever, and had brought cunning pokémon. One-by-one the golduck's eyes shone blue. The beast beat her wings, but it was an effort to move, like swimming through oil. She remembered a time when she was young, when hunters had chased her into the shallows and then used psychic pokémon to pin her down. Driven to near-exhaustion, she'd been forced to unleash the Aeroblast …

Roused to sudden fury she thrashed and writhed like a maniac, her rage churning the sea into froth. They had pushed her too far! She would tolerate these hunters no longer. The beast let out a deep echoing whale-cry, its dreadful harmonics shaking the sea. It was a call that even the gyarados feared. The golduck scattered. They knew what was coming.

Beneath the jet-skis of the hunters, powerful new currents flowed, met, and _turned_.

Whirlpool! It swirled into savage existence, grabbing the hunter's watercraft and dragging them down into the vortex. The humans were torn from the saddle as the raging waters tossed them around like toys. Those lucky few who were thrown to the edge of the whirlpool were rescued by their golduck, left adrift for a long day until they washed up on the Blue Point shore. The unlucky majority were swallowed by the maelstrom, never to see the shore again.

The silver-white beast leisurely beat her great wings. As she lost interest in the destruction she had wrought the maelstrom calmed, leaving behind nothing but open sea and abandoned jet-skis. Now she raised her voice in lilting whale-song, sweet and melodious as taillow calls at dusk. For those who could understand, her song meant: _I am here. Come back to me._

Under the grey waves, the beast of the sea swam on …

… followed by her children.


	10. Two is Company

**Chapter Eight – Two is Company**

_**Joshua**_

_Pokémon are endlessly fascinating in their incredible diversity, their powers and abilities unlike any other form of life that we know of. They wield elemental forces that range from the mysterious to the spectacular. They heal wonderfully from all manner of injuries - a process that the technology of the Poké Ball accelerates - and they have an instinctive understanding of our languages. It is not for nothing that spiritualists throughout the ages have speculated that humans and pokémon were somehow _meant_ to co-exist._

_It is for this reason that I devoted my youth to the understanding of pokémon psychology, and why I chose to write this book. There is nothing remarkable in the character of myself or any of my family that prefers us to the care of pokémon. It is a skill that anyone can develop if they do so with a open heart -_

"One cranberry juice aaand one perry. Your lunches will be following in a couple of minutes. Can I get you guys anything else?"

Josh looked up from his book as the waitress set down his drink. It was another bright spring day, and both he and Eve had been determined to stop for lunch at the riverside bistro from the moment they had set eyes on it that morning. The little town of Longwater was a half hour's journey away from Azalea by bus. It had a similar quaint charm, living half in the past with its red-tiled houses, its winding alleyways leading to unexpected courtyards, its ivy-hung walls and window boxes overflowing with flowers. Against all reason, steam driven paddle-ferries plied the waterway, visiting the villages up and down the river. A light wind blew from the north-east, bringing with it the scents of the river and the barest hint of distant redwoods. Sitting outside on the bistro patio, Josh took a long, contented breath and savoured the myriad springtime aromas.

"A bit early in the day, isn't it?" Eve said, raising an eyebrow at the perry.

"A cold perry on a sunny lunchtime? What could be finer?" Josh replied with a smile. Eve was still giving him a sceptical look. "Oh, alright. Normally I would wait, but since we'll be back in Azalea by dinnertime I want to have one now. This is cider country, Eve! And I am reliably informed that Crossbow Summer perry ranks among the best that Longwater has to offer."

He took an experimental sip of the pale cider. It tasted crisp and clear, with the light, sweet flavour of wepear offset by the sharp tanginess of the alcohol. The perry went down almost as easily as water. Thirsty though he was, Josh resisted the urge to finish half the pint in one pull.

"Oh yes? And who's your reliable informant?" Eve asked playfully.

"My dad."

"Big drinker, huh?"

"Not really. He's what you might call a connoisseur, though _he'd_ never call himself one. On weekends he has a pint or two of something ordered from a micro-brewery … when I was a teenager he used to give me a sip, and if I could tell him exactly where the beer was brewed I could have a full pint," he half-smiled at the memory. Eve smiled back at him, leaning forward on the table. _She has such a pretty smile_, Josh thought, and fiddled with his book reflexively.

"And so are you, by the look of it," she said, nodding at the book, "_Every Trainer A Nurse_. It's the best general pokémon healthcare primer around."

"Oh, do you have a copy?"

"You haven't looked at the inside cover have you?" she replied with a quick wink. Josh opened the front cover – the inside dust jacket showed a photo of a bespectacled Joy in a white lab coat, watching a young Joy play with a totodile. Beneath was a short caption: _'_The author, Dr Imogen Joy with her niece Evelina'. It almost looked like an spontaneous snapshot, Dr Imogen watching with a proud smile as the teenage Eve played with the totodile without a hint of self-consciousness.

"So your aunt is a pokémon professor?" he asked.

"Well, sort of! Aunt Immey is the secondary at the Cherrygrove Centre now – oh, that's like the second-in-command of a Pokémon Centre – but way before that she got her doctorate at Celadon University, studied pokémon psychology under Professor Oak, even did a bit of pokémon training as part of her research!" Eve stopped abruptly and contemplated the photo of herself and her aunt, "It was Aunt Immey that helped me get the money together for this journey. Oh, here's our lunch."

Josh straightened up in his chair while the waitress made her way over, plates in hand. A loud _ding! _soundedas he accidentally kicked something metallic under the table. "Sorry Magnemite," he apologised, "You alright there, screwball?"

Magnemite didn't answer. It was trying to think. Its trainer had polished it, before they left the Pokémon Centre that morning. It had been the single most enjoyable experience of its life. Now Magnemite was having to think, really _think_ for the first time. For reasons it couldn't quite understand, Magnemite wanted to please its trainer. I must think about this some more, it thought, and then tried to remember what 'I' meant.

Magnemite's trainer was peacefully disassembling a splendid river trout, while Eve attacked a lentil salad as if it had personally offended her.

"I almost wish I'd ordered the fish myself," she said.

"You wish, you wish, you'd ordered a fish. Here, try some of mine," Josh said, loading his fork with a mouthful of trout.

"It does look good," she admitted, "Hold on, are you sure?"

"Yes."

"You know, you don't have to share -"

"I know. I'm offering."

"Yeah, but you've paid for it."

"It's only a taste, Eve!"

"I mean, you're welcome to try my salad -"

"_Eat_ the damn trout!" Josh stretched his arm out a bit further, the fork hovering below Evelina's nose. She still hadn't taken her eyes off it.

Eve leaned over a little shyly and ate the proffered mouthful off Josh's fork. "Mm," she said indistinctly, "S' good."

They glanced up at the sound of wings thrashing at the air. A wild pidgeotto was circling above the bistro, crest feathers blazing a brilliant scarlet in the sun. It looked small for its species, perhaps a feather over two feet from beak to tail.

"Pidgeooo!" it cried triumphantly, "Pidgeot-TO!"

The pidgeotto landed on a convenient lamppost and glared down at Josh.

"I don't like the way it's looking at me," Josh said.

"Don't be silly," said Eve, reapplying herself to her salad, "All pidgeotto look like that."

"No way. It's staring at me," Josh glanced down at his trout, "Oh no," he said as the pidgeotto leapt from its perch, "No no no, this is mine ..."

Josh raised his fork threateningly as the bird bore down on the table. Pidgeotto landed, ignoring Josh's attempts to stab it, screamed "PIDGEOOO!" in his face and delivered a painful peck to the ear. Then it was off in a whirl of feathers, leaving behind Josh clutching his ear and Eve shrieking curses.

Pidgeotto retreated to the roof of the bistro with Josh's trout clutched in its talons. It immediately began tucking into its stolen prize. Josh leapt to his feet with a growl.

"Oi! That cost me seven dollars, you pirate!" Josh raged. Then he noticed his upturned perry glass, "That was my – that was my bloody _pint_! That tears it! Magnemite, Thundershock!"

Magnemite emerged from its place under the table. It paused, aimed, and shocked the pidgeotto thoroughly. Josh watched in disbelief as the bird pokémon screamed in fury, apparently completely unharmed. It took to the sky again, sweeping its wings back and curling into a dive.

"Tackle, a Normal-type attack -"

"That's not a Quick Attack?" Eve gasped.

Pidgeotto smashed into Magnemite, sending it spinning away. Magnemite steadied itself and hit pidgeotto with another Thundershock as it started to regain height.

"Look!" Eve called out, "There's a glow, around its feathers!"

She was right. It was hard to see through the glare of the Thundershock, but Josh could just make out a golden haze outlining pidgeotto. _Whatever that is, I'll bet it's why Thundershock won't work_.

"Alright, Magnemite! Get ready for Sonic Boom." he commanded. A Poké Ball whizzed past, cracking open to reveal a scruffy black meowth. It took one look at the pidgeotto and unsheathed its claws.

"Sorry Josh, but I want this," Eve cried, "Meowth, Fury Swipes!"

Pidgeotto lined up for another attack run on Magnemite. It swept down in a couple of wing beats, faster than ever. Meowth grounded it in a single leap, giving no quarter as it slashed madly at its foe.

"Enough! To me!" Eve barked, "Poké Ball, go!"

Eve pitched her Poké Ball with deadly accuracy, striking pidgeotto square on the back before it could take flight again. The Ball rattled and bounced around wildly -

- the pidgeotto within thrashed and struggled in fury. She refused to be captured so easily! If she just struggled hard enough, then -

- the Ball burst open as the capture lock failed. Pidgeotto shot up into the air even before it had properly re-materialised, calling in triumph before wheeling away south-east over the town. Evelina cursed sincerely. Both she and Josh watched the pidgeotto soar over the roofs of Longwater - here on the eastern side of the river the town tumbled down a steep hill till it met the riverbank. Josh looked back at his spilled perry ruefully. It would have served the blasted pigeon right to have been caught by Eve.

"Sir? Miss? Are you both ok?" A man in a neatly pressed shirt and apron was making his way through the tables towards them, "I'm the owner," he said, shaking Josh's hand, "And I'm very sorry about that pidgeotto. We've been trying to capture it for a while, but for some reason electric attacks don't affect it at all. If you'd care to reorder then your lunch is on me, with my apologies."

"What's up that way?" Eve asked, pointing towards the south-east.

"That way? The battlefields are in that direction, by the apricorn trees. Pidgeotto likes to roost there, we think."

Eve looked up the hill thoughtfully. "Right," she said, "Come on, Meowth! Let's go bag that bird!"

"Eve, wait!" Josh called after her, "What about our lunch?"

But Eve was already pounding up a flight of stone steps. Josh sighed and held up Magnemite's Poké Ball. "Come on, screwball. Looks like lunch is going to have to wait."

* * *

The cyndaquil blew out a dense Smokescreen, forcing Magnemite to abort its Tackle.

"Way to go, Sori! Now, use Ember!" its trainer ordered. She was a perky black girl in a red tartan miniskirt, and had been fighting hard to keep her advantage over Magnemite. A Zephyr Badge glinted proudly on her lapel. Josh had been trying to get one final clean hit in but her cyndaquil just kept evading Magnemite's attacks.

A cloud of fiery sparks jetted from somewhere inside the smoke, catching Magnemite off-guard. It spun on its axis rapidly to try and throw off the embers clinging to its metal skin.

"Hang in there, screwball! Come on, Sonic Boom, through the smoke!" Josh called. The Smokescreen burst apart as easily as Sleep Powder, the shock wave blowing it apart and tossing the cyndaquil across the concrete battlefield. Both pokémon were looking battered, each snatching a moment to rest while their trainers took stock. Magnemite had battled tenaciously despite its type-disadvantage. It was more focused on the battle than before, Josh was sure of it. After taking direct hits from several Fire-type attacks, Josh felt he owed his pokémon a break.

"Hey. How about we call it a day? I don't know about your cyndaquil, but my screwball here has fought enough," he said.

"Yeah, ok," his opponent replied, "Sori's pretty tired too. Good battle, mister!"

She recalled her cyndaquil and took off at a run, leaving Josh alone on the battlefield with Magnemite quietly circling him. He flung himself onto a bench at the edge of the field. The battlefield was surrounded by a chain-link fence, overhung in places by the branches of apricorn trees. The pink and white apricorns were in season, the bright fruits hanging heavily among the budding leaves.

He was about to call Magnemite to him when he remembered what he had read in Dr Imogen's book. _'Magnet pokémon display affection by repeatedly orbiting objects.'_ Josh smiled at his Magnemite. It was a strange creature, but armed with Dr Imogen's book, he was beginning to understand what made his little screwball tick.

Just then, Eve joined him on the bench, plunking herself down with a "Hmph!" She folded her arms tight across her chest and scowled into the middle-distance.

"Still can't catch that pidgeotto, eh?" said Josh.

"Hmph."

"I've been thinking. I reckon I know how you can catch it."

"Hmph?"

Josh pointed to the overhanging branches. "White apricorns," he said.

"White apricorns," she repeated dully, "White apricorns! Fast Balls! Josh, you're brilliant!" Eve leapt up and carefully selected an apricorn, slicing through the stem with a pocket knife.

"Josh, you're brilliant." Eve beamed at him, "Hmm … maybe I'll take a couple of colours."

"Don't thank me too soon. I think you'll find that you owe me lunch."

"What? I do not!"

"You do, Miss Evelina, because the bistro owner was going to offer us lunch for free but _you_ ran off to catch a pokémon."

"But pidgeotto was getting away -"

"Free lunch," Josh countered.

Eve looked ready to keep arguing, but her scowl changed to a smile instead. "Maybe I'd rather take you out to dinner," she said archly.

"Do I get to choose the restaurant?"

"I don't see why not. You seem to have good taste," she said with a wink, "Are we square?"

"We're square," he said, "Come on, let's head back to Azalea! If we're quick you might have your Ball ready for tomorrow."

* * *

Humming happily to herself, Ledyba landed on the damp turf and clicked shut her wing cases. Her armour shone a healthy crimson, flecked with a cluster of irregular black spots.

"Kind of looks like a constellation, doesn't it," Josh said thoughtfully, "A bit like Lyra."

"You think so?" Eve replied.

"Sure. That big spot there could be Vega. And there, R Lyrae, beta Lyrae ..."

Ledyba buzzed her way over to her trainer and landed on her head. "Maybe I should call you Lyra then," Eve said, "Yes. Lyra's a good name."

* * *

Pidgeotto circled slowly over Longwater. She had lost her, and now she couldn't find her again. She was looking for the female human with the pink crest, the one with the savage black meowth. On some level she was aware that the human was trying to catch her. On some level she _wanted_ to be caught, by a human strong enough to overmatch her.

She mugged a passing human for his hamburger, but it just wasn't the same.

* * *

Sunset was fading into twilight when Josh got back to the Pokémon Centre. He found Eve relaxing outside with her ledyba. She'd let down her rings, the loose locks falling to the small of her back.

Lyra buzzed something at Eve. "Are you sure?" she replied, "You're usually too sleepy around this time."

"Dyyy-ledyyy," Lyra said cryptically.

"Ok then. Be back when the stars come out," Eve told her. Lyra spiralled into the air and flew off into the dusk.

"You can understand her?" Josh asked uncertainly.

"The words she said? No. But I understand the meaning well enough," she giggled at his surprised expression, "It's not _that_ unusual. You can already read your bulbasaur's moods, can't you? I wouldn't be surprised if you started to understand his speech before long. It happens with most trainers, sooner or later. Anyway," she added, "I'd best shower and change since we're going to dinner."

"Erm, Eve? We can eat at the cafeteria here if you like."

"Mm-mm," she said, shaking her head firmly, "I said I'd take you out to dinner, and I meant it. And, um, it's nice to have company … I had a lot of fun today."

* * *

"_I'll see you when you've won your Badge!" _She had meant it in a playful way, but to Josh it still felt like a vote of confidence. He had wanted to win anyway - for the sake of proving Dad wrong, and for the sake of his own pride. But now he also wanted to win because of the confidence Eve had in him. She was probably in Longwater by now, Fast Ball in hand.

He leaned against the bole of a chestnut tree and took a few deep breaths. The Gym felt more like a forest than a building. _This is ridiculous. I'm never nervous. _The strategy he'd devised should work, but … Bugsy might throw anything at him. There was no way he could research all the possibilities. Closing his eyes, he forced himself to breathe slowly. When his heart rate dropped, Josh headed to the dirt battlefield in the middle of the Gym.

"So Joshua, come to challenge me already?" Bugsy called. He was standing up in the branches of a tall elm, his retinue of bug catchers clustered below.

"I've come here to win a Hive Badge," Josh called back, trying to sound more confident than he felt.

Bugsy shrugged, "I accept all challengers. Benny, would you fetch the referee? Tell him Joshua has arrived for a two-on-two battle. Brandon, hold the ladder please."

They took their places on the field while they waited for Benny to return with the referee. After a while Bugsy said, "Have you ever heard the saying 'He who learns the rules of the Bug pokémon, learns to rule the Bug pokémon'?"

"No. As I recall, I was told to go and bond with my Electric pokémon," Josh replied evenly. He was faintly pleased to see Bugsy raise a quizzical eyebrow, as if not quite sure what to make of his remark.

Josh was still focussing on keeping his breathing steady when the referee arrived, standing out in sharp contrast to the Gym Trainers in his black and gold uniform. With a flourish of his flags – red for Bugsy, green for Josh – the referee announced the rules.

"This official Gym battle between the challenger Joshua Cook of Mulberry Town and the Gym Leader Bugsy of the Azalea Town Gym is about to commence! Each trainer will use two pokémon and only the challenger may make substitutions! A Hive Badge is at stake!"

_My pride is at stake._

"And … begin!"

"You had better be ready, Joshua! Go Spinarak!"

_Stay calm. You can do this_. "Magnemite! Let's win this."

There was a moment of absolute stillness. Magnemite hung motionless, unfazed by Spinarak staring back with a spider's patient menace. There was something unnerving about the way it stood perched on the tips of its yellow legs, beady black eyes giving away nothing. _Your move, Bugsy_.

Bugsy broke cover first. "Use String Shot," he yelled. Spinarak went from statue-still to lightning-fast. Magnemite instinctively dodged the String Shot and retaliated with a Thundershock, but Spinarak was already moving, somersaulting into the trees on the end of a silken safety-line.

"Thundershock, again." Josh said.

"Webs, Spinarak."

Chased by Thundershocks, Spinarak zipped from tree-to-tree leaving behind trip-lines as it went. It moved with sudden bursts of frantic movement, all skittering legs and flying String Shot, and before long it had spun a net of silk over the whole battlefield.

But Josh had spotted a mistake. "Sonic Boom," he ordered calmly. The Sonic Boom sounded off with the familiar crashing _ckroom _that Josh was beginning to love_, _accompanied by a clatter of snapping threads. In one swift attack, Magnemite ripped Spinarak's net to ragged shreds.

"He who learns the rules of the Bug pokémon, learns to rule the Bug pokémon," Josh quoted, "Spinarak spun its web too taut."

"... very clever, Joshua. Let's see if you can figure this out – Shadow Sneak!"

Darting into the gloom beneath the branches, Spinarak melted into the shadows and disappeared from sight. Josh was instantly suspicious. _Why Shadow Sneak? _A relatively weak Ghost-type attackshould barely affect Magnemite with its Steel-typing. But Spinarak hadn't attacked – it had melted into the shadows beneath the trees as perfectly as if it was not there at all. _What are you up to, Bugsy?_

"On your guard, Magnemite. As soon as you see Spinarak, zap it."

"Sorry Joshua, but it won't be that easy. Use Night Shade!"

Black rays like the negative of a Psybeam lanced out from the gloom, smashing into Magnemite's left magnet with a flash of shadow. The blast shaded to a sinister red at the edges, throwing out shadows rather than glare. _Shadow Sneak was never intended to be an attack, it was camouflage_. Josh racked his brain, trying to remember the effects of Night Shade. It was a Ghost-type attack, but why then was Magnemite so easily injured by it? Volleys of Night Shades shot out from the trees. Many missed, but too many found their mark. Josh winced as Magnemite let out a grating screech – one of its magnets had bent out of shape. _Switching for Bulbasaur won't solve anything. I can't see Spinarak and neither can Magnemite. Night Shade bypasses Steel-type resistance somehow …_

Josh realised he was in trouble.

* * *

Pidgeotto was getting angry. A ledyba, a damn _bug_, was challenging her to battle! What was worse, this bug wasn't afraid of her! She just couldn't squash it, try as she might, this brave little ledyba that fought for the female human with the pink crest. She didn't want this.

She wanted to battle the meowth!

Pidgeotto decided that she had had enough. She climbed sharply to gain some height, fully expecting the ledyba to follow. No matter. She was fast and nimble, and could outclimb any mere bug. Wheeling round, she glared down at the ledyba and the pink-crested human far below. Time to make an end of it!

Rolling into a dive, Pidgeotto swept her wings back and plummeted like a meteor. A few quick flaps of her wings corrected her course, a barrel roll compensated for ledyba's sluggish dodge. Next, the talons swung forward, six gleaming claws ready to crush ledyba once and for all. Less than a second before impact, there was a flash of green and then -

It was like flying into a brick wall.

Disoriented and half-conscious, Pidgeotto tumbled to earth. The pink-crested human threw a ball at him, a red, yellow and white ball …

* * *

Magnemite narrowly evaded another Night Shade. It flicked a Thundershock into the trees, guessing at Spinarak's position and failing.

"If you can't cope with surprises, how do you expect to win one Badge, never mind eight?" Bugsy said, "You should probably quit now rather than lose completely."

Josh ignored him. _Calm down and think, you fool! _Spinarak hadn't stepped out into the sun since using Shadow Sneak. That must mean it could only hide in the shadows. But surely it couldn't hide in just _any_ shadows, it would still need to be able to see Magnemite. Which means that it's probably hiding in the widest patch of shadow …

_There. _A space overhung by the evergreen spray of a cypress. "Magnemite!" he called, pointing with an outhrust arm, "Sonic Boom that area now!"

Whether it was out of trust, Josh didn't know, but Magnemite didn't even hesitate. It simply spun, and fired. And fired. And fired.


	11. Scary Shiny Glasses

**Chapter Nine – Scary Shiny Glasses**

_**Evelina**_

Evelina skidded through the Gym's automatic doors and legged it through the trees. Dry leaf litter crackled beneath her boots. _I hope I haven't missed it! _From up ahead came the sights and sounds of battle - the high-pitched sizzle of Thundershocks, Night Shade rays flickering through the trees. Leaping over a gnarled tree root, Eve thumped to a halt behind the trainer's box.

Josh didn't appear to notice. He was concentrating on the battle, on his magnemite hovering over the middle of the field. Bugsy's pokémon – presumably a spinarak – seemed to be hiding somewhere in the trees off to the left. _How much of the battle have I missed? _Josh was shifting his weight from foot to foot, as if the soles of his boots were burning.

"If you can't cope with surprises, how do you expect to win one Badge, never mind eight?" Bugsy said, "You should probably quit now rather than lose completely."

Eve felt a pang of disappointment shoot through her chest. Was the battle really going that badly? But Josh said nothing of quitting. Instead he was methodically scanning the treeline - trying to spot Bugsy's pokémon, perhaps.

"Magnemite!" he called, pointing with an outhrust arm, "Sonic Boom that area now!"

Magnemite spun and locked onto its target with remarkable speed. For a brief second Eve wondered whether Magnemite could see something that she couldn't - or whether it was trusting to its trainer's commands – and then it was blasting away with Sonic Boom. Branches snapped and foliage shredded; the shockwaves bulldozed the leaf litter and scoured the soil. From somewhere in the trees came a panicked "_Spinaa!_" and a thump.

"How the hell ..." Bugsy gasped in shock. The referee edged forward for a closer look.

"Spinarak is unable to battle! Magnemite wins!" he called. Eve suppressed a cheer with some difficulty. She didn't want to distract him, not at this critical moment.

"I don't know how you figured out where Spinarak was hiding. I'm wondering whether it was a lucky guess," Bugsy said.

"Calculation," Josh replied.

"Well, consider into your calculations the ashigaru to scyther's samurai – Beedrill! Attack stance!"

The Beedrill that emerged from the Poké Ball was a fine example of its species. Three feet long, with a glossy golden carapace, strong limbs, and beautifully proportioned wings. _And disciplined, too_. Most Beedrill were berserkers, full of nervous energy. This one hovered almost motionlessly a few feet in the air. It immediately took a stance, thrusting its tail stinger forward, right arm locked out, left held at a right angle above its head ready to stab forwards.

If Josh felt any elation from his victory, he didn't show it. He looked up at the ceiling, for some cryptic reason, before recalling Magnemite. _Smart move. _If the battle had been hard-fought, then Magnemite would probably be knocked out in short order. This way, the Poké Ball would allow it to heal a little and become his holdout pokémon.

"Battle's on, Bulbasaur!" Josh called out. Bulbasaur shouted no battle-cries upon entering the field, instead choosing to mimic his trainer's composure. Eve couldn't help but look at the seed pokémon with a professional eye. Bulbasaur's bulb was a handsome velvety forest green, his scales shiny and supple, closer to green than teal in colour. She was a little impressed by his lean physique – captive bulbasaur often tended to develop a greedy streak and needed a firm trainer to stop them overeating.

To her slight surprise, Josh took the initiative. "Vine Whip," he ordered hesitantly. A strange move, Eve thought, given Beedrill's double-resistance to Grass-type attacks, but one that would allow Bulbasaur to attack from beyond the reach of those vicious stingers.

"Defence stance, Beedrill!" Bugsy countered, his Beedrill snapping into a new stance - reorienting itself to face Bulbasaur side-on, pulling back its tail stinger and bringing its left arm down, tight across the thorax. Bulbasaur lashed at it from all sides, striking at the wings, the thorax, the abdomen. With practiced ease Beedrill parried and blocked, deflecting the strongest attacks and ignoring others completely.

"I think that's enough waiting around," said Bugsy, "Use your Agility!"

The low drone of Beedrill's wings rose to a buzzsaw wail. It zipped around the field in irregular loops, easily dodging the flailing vines that tried in vain to swat it from the air. Bulbasaur grunted "Bulba! Bulba!" with every attack.

"Don't try and follow it Bulbasaur," Josh said, "Use Growth, and let it come to you."

Deep within Bulbasaur's bulb, a soft green phosphorescence flickered into life, eerily beautiful in its strangeness. Yellow motes of light lit up from nowhere, dancing and flirting around the swell of his bulb like fireflies.

"Saaaur!" Bulbasaur howled with exhilaration, bathed in the glow of his own phosphorescence. Seizing its chance Beedrill slashed down with its stinger, drawing a thin red line down Bulbasaur's face before cutting a deep gash on the backstroke. Faint green afterimages followed behind the stinger, brighter on the second stroke. _Fury Cutter._ The third Fury Cutter missed as Bulbasaur smashed it to the ground with a Growth-assisted Tackle. Quick though it was, Beedrill only just managed to dodge Bulbasaur's attempt to trample it where it lay.

"You're doing great, Bulbasaur, keep it up!" Josh called.

"Good, Beedrill! Now swarm Bulbasaur with Twineedle!"

Wings wailing out a harsh buzz, Beedrill plummeted vertically down, stingers poised and ready. The first strike whistled past Bulbasaur's flank and ploughed into the dirt; the second caught him behind the ear, the third stabbed at his neck. Bulbasaur tried to drive the poison bee off with Vine Whips – Beedrill slid easily aside and attacked from the flank, perforating his bulb with a flurry of Twineedles. Josh watched, jaw clenched, as Beedrill switched flanks with a mid-air roll, slashing with Fury Cutter as it went.

"It's all about speed. Nothing can match a Bug pokémon that's been trained to move," said Bugsy confidently. He looked relaxed, sure of his strategy and sure of his pokémon, giving orders with an arm outstretched. It was quite common for trainers to make all kinds of grand gestures during the heat of battle – Eve knew that she herself had a tendency to snap her fingers a lot – but Josh hardly moved. Arms folded, he just stood there in the trainer's box with an air of measured concentration. _I know it's all a battle persona, but it's kinda, well ... cool._

Yet Eve saw an expression on his face she'd seen once before. Behind those dark eyes the cogs in his head were whirring. She half-expected the sun to reflect off his glasses dramatically.

"Bulbasaur!" Josh shouted, "I need you to trust me! Don't aim this next attack!"

"Bulbasaur!" he protested.

"I know you can do it! I just need you to trust me! Sleep Powder!"

Sleep Powder mushroomed into the air, a heavy, heady cloud that settled around Bulbasaur like veil. Beedrill rose in panic and blundered straight into the powder. Fighting to stay airborne, it zigzagged drowsily out of the reach of Tackle. Bugsy was yelling encouragement, yelling at Beedrill to stay awake.

"Quick! Give it a Leech Seed barrage!"

Bulbasaur let fly with a shower of Leech Seeds, the seeds raining down around Beedrill. With nowhere for it to go three found their mark, wrapping the bee in a thicket of tendrils. _I don't know if he knows it yet, but Josh has got this battle won._

"Attack stance! Give it everything you've got!" Bugsy shouted. _He's panicking! _Beedrill surged forwards, stingers stabbing with all the berserker fury of its wild cousins.

"Keep it in front of you! Heal yourself if you have to," Josh ordered. Bugsy's pokémon was tiring with the Leech Seeds rapidly sapping away its vitality. Each strike was slower than the last, and Bulbasaur seemed to know it. He refused to let Beedrill slip out of his field of vision, constantly herding it back into sight with his Vine Whips. _Finish it! One good strong Tackle and it's over!_

Bulbasaur reclaimed one of his Leech Seeds, his wounds visibly sealing up before Eve's eyes. Beedrill landed with a stagger – too tired to fly, its legs shaking with the effort of standing up. _Call it, referee! _Bulbasaur reached out and grabbed Beedrill's stingers, effectively disarming it. Beedrill thrashed and kicked in a futile tug-of-war.

With a certain degree of care, Bulbasaur lifted Beedrill and smashed it against a tree, again and again, until finally, it stopped struggling. Eve's eyes were on the referee. _Call it, damn you!_

Up swept the green flag.

"Beedrill is unable to battle! The victory goes to the challenger, _Joshua Cook!_"

"YES!" Eve punched the air, her pent-up excitement bubbling up like soda fizz. Surprised by her outburst, Josh turned just in time to be nearly bowled over as one hundred and twenty pounds of young womanhood threw her arms around his neck. For a brief, horrible moment all Eve could think of was what a complete fool she had made of herself … and then he was wrapping his arms around her, and laughing.

"Um, congratulations?" she said redundantly after they broke apart, and giggled. Josh gave her an odd, perplexed look.

Having finished recalling his Beedrill, Bugsy had been waiting tactfully for them to break apart. "I was merciless, but you beat me anyway," he said, "You've earned this Joshua – the Hive Badge."

The round metal badge shone bright and new in the springtime sun, black and red like a ledyba's back. Josh took it between finger and thumb, staring at his prize. Eve wondered what he was thinking.

"You know, Bugsy," he said slowly, "When I came here to challenge you, I wasn't thinking about the Badge. But now I'm holding it in my hands, despite the fact that I didn't really want it till now, I can't remember the last time I was so happy to achieve anything."

"I think you've got potential, Joshua, and I'm not just saying that," Bugsy said, "You strategise well, and you can definitely think on your feet. What I'm not seeing yet is the passion. And that's something you can only find yourself."

"Oh, hey!" Eve broke in, "You should get your Badge scanned at the Pokémon Centre!"

"Scanned?" Josh replied.

"Each Gym Badge you win allows you to claim PokéGelt," Bugsy explained, "PokéGelt is a currency that you can exchange for pokémon-related items and services. It's banked on your Trainer Card, so you can claim your Gelt at any Pokémon Centre. Oh, and Eve? If you've come to challenge me, I'm afraid it'll have to wait a while. Come back around five o' clock."

"That's great. I'll be ready then," Eve replied.

_I just hope Josh will want to stay to watch my battle._

* * *

From: Imogen Joy ( )

Sent: 1 April 2012 22:13:34

To: Evelina Joy (cherrygirlcity )

Eve,

It would depend upon the pidgeotto. I doubt that it will be wary after capture, since it has been attacking humans for their food. Strange behaviour for a rural pidgeotto, given that food should be plentiful. I suspect it likes battles and steals food to provoke combat. If you keep talking to it through the Poké Ball – as you did with Meowth – then it will come to understand that you're a friend. Keep a firm hand, though, or else it will try to challenge you for dominance.

I wish I could be there! I never got the chance to visit Azalea while the flowers were in bloom. How did you like Longwater? You should take the paddle-ferry up river to the Ilex Forest. Trust me, leave the boat at Withy End and walk on to Arborville. There are trainer's trails that will take you round Lake of Life Reserve through the Heartwoods to the Ilex Forest proper.

I still think that you should talk to your mother. If you won't call her then at least e-mail her. I know that you don't believe me, but she misses you and would love to hear about your adventures.

* * *

From: Evelina Joy (cherrygirlcity )

Sent: 2 April 2012 12:24:16

To: Imogen Joy ( )

We've been over this. If Mum really wanted to hear about my adventures then she would have supported me in the first place. It's my help around the Centre that she misses. I've made up my mind, and that's that. Anyway, it's not like she has no idea what I'm doing – I have to stay at Centres, remember?

I caught that pidgeotto. Had to use a Fast Ball to do it, but I caught it. Turns out it has the Motor Drive ability – isn't that crazy? I know that pokémon can sometimes have unusual abilities but wow! It's got fighting spirit alright, I don't see any problems with it obeying me in battle, but I want to spar a few times before the Gym just to make sure. I'll be battling Bugsy this evening.

I haven't decided which route to take next. It's something I don't want to decide until after the battle. Let you know how it goes.

Eve

* * *

"Meowooooo!" Meowth howled piteously as Eve dragged him to his doom. His claws scrabbled and gouged at the floor but it was no use. She had a steel grip, both hands locked tight around his tail. He had sensed that something was wrong the moment she'd let him out his Poké Ball. Growing up as an alley-tom had taught him to run at the first sign of trouble, but Eve could move faster than a human had any right to.

[Somebody stop her! She's no nurse, she's a monster!] he howled, [Call the cops! Confiscate her Trainer Card!]

Eve took no notice. Meowth's increasingly frantic hollering was drawing attention from the other trainers in the Pokémon Centre. Some looked annoyed at the din. Others – the cat lovers, most likely – looked on in horror. Josh had staked out a space by the lounge for her, where he was test-pitching his new tent. Next to him was what Meowth so dreaded – a plastic basin of warm water.

Eve seized her pokémon by the scruff. "You are _having_ a sodding bath, whether you like it or not!" she hissed.

[This crazy bitch is trying to drown me!] Meowth yowled, [Murder! Murder! Mur-blbl-bbl-blr!]

Eve gave him a thorough dunking in the tub before bringing him up for air. "Shut. Up. And put those claws away, because if you scratch me, by God _you will regret it!_"

Meowth watched her sullenly, water dripping off the ends of his drooping whiskers. [MUR-bbl-blubl-bll!]

"Is that really necessary?" Josh asked with an amused smile.

"I'll have no grubby pokémon on _my_ team," she said, methodically scrubbing Meowth's fur.

[Don't act so proud. I can smell your pits from here, pinko.]

"At least I don't wash my hair with spit!" Eve snapped. His constant struggles splashed an especially large spray over her polo shirt, and she snarled in annoyance. Meowth quailed, sensing that he'd gone too far.

She was somewhat relieved to see Josh pay no attention to the damp spectacle. "Ok, I'm familiar with this thing now," he said, "Pass me my boots?"

Josh's boots were a solid-looking pair of hobnailed brown hiking boots. They seemed to be the only item of clothing he bothered to look after – unlike his scuffed Pokégear, faded jumper and fraying jacket, his boots were freshly cleaned and polished.

"These are quite heavy," she said, passing them over. Meowth took the opportunity to make a valiant bid for freedom. Without really thinking, Eve seized him and dragged him back in.

"They should be. They're reinforced toe to backstay with aron steel," he replied casually.

Eve flipped a skeptical double-take and realised that he wasn't joking. "Aron steel? Where on earth did you buy them?"

"I didn't. I made them. Well, with help. I was on holiday once, on Dewford Island. There's a craftsman there who makes aron steel the traditional way, almost the last to do so. Mostly he makes pocket knives and the like to sell to tourists. Anyway, one day I went in to buy a knife and we got talking. He ended up taking me on as apprentice for the week," he smiled fondly, "He was so happy to find a young person who was actually interested in learning from him."

"Hold on, hold on, back up! You _made_ aron steel? Like, shirt off and ringing hammer?"

"Well … yeah. It was hot in front of the forge," he replied, embarrassed.

The mental image of Josh stripped to the waist, hammering away at an anvil was so strange that Eve wanted to laugh. She forced herself not to; it would be cruel to make him think she was laughing at him.

"Hey, where's Magnemite gone?" she asked. Magnemite had been let out of its Poké Ball to be charged and had been behaving itself so far.

"Oh no," Josh said, "Magnemite! _Magnemite!_ Leave that bloody pikachu alone!"

Still in his socks, he awkwardly ran to try and haul his pokémon away from the spooked pikachu it was pestering. Eve really did laugh then – the struggling pair were the centre of attention, Josh cursing and threatening while Magnemite did its level best to get near the pikachu. _He'll be cuddling that metal ball later. _For all that they didn't see eye-to-eye, Eve could see they were beginning to develop an affection for each other.

_And what about you, Evelina Joy? _The last two days had been unexpectedly fun. Since leaving Cherrygrove City, Eve had been quite content to adventure on her own. She wasn't quite sure what she expected to happen when she invited Josh to the café, but it had turned out to have been one of her better ideas. He was good company. You might look at him and see only the bookish trainer, but beneath that was a woodsman, a steelsmith … full of odd surprises. Someone who went climbing down onix-burrows to get out of the rain was someone she wanted to get to know better.

Part of Eve wondered whether she should even be feeling this way. She'd only known Josh two short days, after all. They would soon be going their separate ways, probably for good. _Too soon. How long has it been since I last clicked with someone so well?_

"I just fed you, you overgrown ball bearing!" Josh had finally managed to restrain Magnemite in a bear hug. Red and blue bolts were crackling between the poles of Magnemite's magnets. Before she could shout a warning it blasted out a halo of coloured sparks which promptly earthed themselves on Josh's arms.

"OW! What was that for?" he said, sounding more hurt than angry.

"Congratulations, Josh," Eve called, "Your screwball learned Thunder Wave."

"I'm so very proud," he replied dryly.

Eve's smile didn't last long. _What do I do about this? _She forgot about scrubbing and automatically started scratching her pokémon behind the ears.

Meowth looked up, confused. [Something wrong, boss?]

"Just thinking, buddy. Just thinking."


	12. The Question

**Chapter Ten – The Question**

_**Evelina**_

"This official Gym battle between the challenger Evelina Joy of Cherrygrove City and the Gym Leader Bugsy of the Azalea Town Gym is about to commence! Each trainer will use three pokémon and only the challenger may make substitutions! A Hive Badge is at stake!"

_Ok, Eve. Mind in the battle now._ Late afternoon was turning to evening, and her shadow streamed out long and black, turned into a distorted giant by the setting sun. Ledyba – Lyra – had been unusually active near sunset these past few days when she'd normally be lethargic and sleepy. She wondered whether Bugsy would try and capitalise on the time of day by using a crepuscular or nocturnal pokémon … a venonat, maybe.

"And - begin!"

"Ok Miss Joy, let's see what you can do! Go, Beedrill!"

_Left jacket pocket, Poké Ball, not Fast Ball. Pokédex, back jeans pocket. _"Lyra! You have the honour!"

Lyra materialised in mid-air, jabbing with each of her little fists in turn. [C'mon, c'mon, I ain't scared of you, stripey!] she buzzed, eager as always.

Eve wasted no time in making the first move. "Mach Punch!" she ordered, and Lyra shot forward, crossing the field in less than a second. She landed a blow square between Beedrill's eyes and immediately whirled round to present her armoured back. Beedrill's retaliatory Twineedle scored a thin line across her carapace. Lyra spun, fists flying, but she just wasn't quick enough – Beedrill smoothly parried away the Comet Punches.

_Wrong pokémon. What was I thinking? _"Ledyba, good. Come back!" Eve said, and recalled Lyra. What she needed now was raw ferocity. _Right jacket pocket … I've got to get some belt clasps or something when all this is over._

"It's your turn Meowth!" she shouted. His claws glinted as he leapt yowling from his Poké Ball. Using Hone Claws as soon as he was released was a sneaky trick that Meowth had taught himself. Ragged whiskers held flat against his face, he shifted into his favourite pouncing position.

"Change your pokémon all you like, I'll still be ready for you," said Bugsy, "Go Beedrill, attack stance! All-out attack!"

With a piping buzz, Beedrill took to the air, hovering cautiously for a moment before diving on Meowth, tail stinger first. It had deliberately chosen to attack from vertical as it had with Bulbasaur, this time to make counter-attacks awkward to execute. Meowth stood his ground, waiting while the vicious stinger plummeted towards his neck until -

"Double Team!" Eve called. Beedrill stung only dirt, having impaled a shadowy copy that vanished as soon as it was struck. Suddenly it was surrounded by leaping, hissing, scratching cats. Charms and claws flashed in the chaos. Eve was irritated to see Beedrill patiently slash through the copies, winnowing away the fakes in an attempt to find the real Meowth.

The real Meowth slunk round behind his opponent, pounced and delivered a powerful Cut right across its thorax, ripping through a hind wing with a sound like tearing paper. Meowth landed, rolled, and used Double Team again to cover his escape.

"Fly, Beedrill," Bugsy ordered, "Find the real one, you can do it!"

Eve did gave no orders of her own – she knew she could trust Meowth to press the attack. Bugsy's pokémon took to the air, Fury Cutting at the Double Team. Eve kept her eye on Meowth as he approached from below, waited, leapt with claws outstretched …

But Beedrill twisted its tail and stung Meowth hard, sending him thumping into the dirt. Josh let out a sympathetic groan of dismay. Meowth lay crumpled on the battlefield. _He's not hurt that badly._ The referee moved forward for a closer look, as did Beedrill. For a moment it might have looked as if it was all over, until Meowth suddenly raked Beedrill across the face.

"Beedrill!" Bugsy cried out as Meowth became an angry ball of howling fur and claws. Fury Swipes almost seemed too tame a name for the attack – Meowth scratched and slashed as fast as he possibly could. Buzzing in distress, Beedrill tried and failed to take flight. A faint yellowish-green glow played about its stingers.

"Quick! Twineedle attack!" Bugsy called. With some effort, his pokémon held off the furious meowth with one arm while drawing the other back. It thrust with its stinger as hard as it could, stabbing Meowth full in the chest, pitching him bouncing and skidding down the length of the field.

"No way!" Eve shouted in complete disbelief.

[Oof. I'm alright boss, just winded me,] Meowth wheezed, struggling painfully slowly to his feet.

The referee disagreed. "Meowth is unable to battle. Beedrill wins!" he declared with a flourish of the red flag. Eve bit back a curse as she recalled Meowth.

"It's not your fault," she told him through the Poké Ball. From the sidelines, Josh gave her an encouraging smile. Eve was damned if she was going to lose this battle in front of him. She selected what she hoped would be the right Ball, "You and me, we're in this together," she told it, "Pidgeotto! You have the honour!"

Pidgeotto burst from the Fast Ball like a comet, soaring over Eve's head as she re-materialised. It looked like Aunt Immey was right about Pidgeotto. After a few sparring matches during the afternoon she seemed to have picked up the concept of following orders in battle - something that might have a lot to do with her interacting with Meowth and Lyra. Or maybe it was talking to her through the Poké Ball that helped. _Oh well, here goes …_

"So, Pidgeotto is your new pokémon? Flying-type or no Flying-type, we're not backing down!" said Bugsy, "Use your Toxic Spikes Beedrill!"

Beedrill spun like a top, throwing out a cloud of what looked like purple caltrops that glistened suspiciously. Eve scanned the attack with her Pokédex.

"Toxic Spikes, a Poison-type attack. Classified as an entry hazard, Toxic Spikes inflict the Poison status on any enemy pokémon entering the field."

"Flying will only save you for so long. Once your pokémon touches the ground, the Toxic Spikes are activated," Bugsy continued, "So what do you do now, Miss Joy?"

An idea began to form in the back of Eve's mind. The Toxic Spikes were likely insurance against Lyra, but maybe she didn't have to worry about them ... she decided to let the idea sit and mature for a while."Pidgeotto! Finish it with one Tackle!"

Pidgeotto climbed sharply, rising up to the ceiling before rolling into a dive, just like she had when battling Lyra. Talons swung forward ready for impact -

"Use your Agility, then Twineedle!" Bugsy called. The duel happened so fast that Eve couldn't follow it. There was a nasty _crunch_ as Pidgeotto's talons thumped home, then suddenly Beedrill was lying unconscious on the dirt while Pidgeotto soared overhead, with a thin scratch on her flank. Bugsy seemed almost resigned to the defeat as he recalled Beedrill.

"Your Pidgeotto's fast," he said, smiling, "Lucky for me I have a pokémon who's just as fast. I choose you Yanma!"

Yanma was about the same size as Pidgeotto, with a certain prehistoric sleekness to its long, red body. Its four filmy wings beat in a complex forward-and-back pattern as it hovered in place, legs held up tight against its thorax. _It looks fragile … and the type matchup is still lousy. Why use it at all? _Eve brought her Pokédex up just in case.

"Yanma, the Clear Wing pokémon. Yanma has a 360-degree field of vision. It is a great flier that is adept at making sudden stops and turns."

_Ah-ha! That's why. Ok, I know how I'm gonna play this._

"Start this off with Silver Wind!" Bugsy ordered, taking the first move. Yanma loomed over Pidgeotto and beat its wings till they blurred. A cylinder of gusting winds and whirling silver-grey scales blasted down. Pidgeotto dodged to the right and Eve shouted for a Tackle. The Silver Wind fountained back off the dirt in a billowing cloud, filling the air with a silvery haze as Yanma chased Pidgeotto with its relentless attack. Swerving round the Silver Wind, Pidgeotto inverted and grabbed at Yanma with her talons, forcing it to break off the attack and dodge.

"Quick Attack!" Eve yelled.

"Quick Attack!" Bugsy countered.

Both pokémon attacked, and both missed because they were trying to attack and dodge at the same time. Silver Wind residue churned and billowed as the combatants dodged and swooped. Pidgeotto seemed to be steadily slowing while Yanma got faster and faster. Eve had to squint to make out Yanma whirl round and slam Pidgeotto with its abdomen. _Hold on, I can use that!_

"Pidgeotto, Sand Attack!"

Arcing round to put some distance between Yanma and herself, Pidgeotto hovered close to the ground, beating her powerful wings hard and throwing up dust from the dry battlefield. The ochre dust mingled with Yanma's Silver Wind, effectively blinding both Yanma and Bugsy.

"Now!" she ordered with a smile and a snap of her fingers, "Quick Attack!"

"Detect!"

"_What!_" Eve yelled. She could feel her cheeks flushing red with fury.

"Now use Light Screen!" Bugsy ordered, taking advantage of the lull. Hundreds of translucent yellow diamonds appeared around Yanma, slotting themselves together so that they formed a tesselated box before flashing briefly and disappearing. It was a clever move, one that would shut down any Gusts that Pidgeotto might try and leave her with no choice but to switch to Lyra. _Not sodding likely._

"Get up high for a Tackle!" she ordered, and Pidgeotto eagerly swept up towards the ceiling.

"That's a bad decision. As soon as you see Pidgeotto, Quick Attack!"

Pidgeotto reached the apex of her flight. Barely a foot of space lay between her and the ceiling, and she let out a long call as if to say "I'm ready, give the order!"

Eve snapped her fingers, and smiled. That is, she showed her teeth. "Defog!"

Almost leisurely, Pidgeotto swept her wings down, washing the battlefield in a gentle but persistent breeze. Dust and silver-grey scales melted away at its touch, the hidden Toxic Spikes in the dirt were picked up and dissolved into nothing. Yanma's Light Screen flashed back into existence, the myriad diamond panes whirling away like confetti.

"Give it a Gust, the strongest Gust you have!" Eve ordered, not wanting to give Bugsy even a moment's respite. The Gust caught Yanma in its teeth and sent it spinning end over end towards the ground. Straining to right itself, Yanma's wings beat so hard they sent shockwaves crashing into the dirt. Josh was shouting something, his voice drowned out by the sound of wind and wings.

"Hang in there, Yanma!" Bugsy shouted.

"Tackle, make it count!"

Down came Pidgeotto with her wings swept back, sleek and swift as she had been when Eve first saw her flying above the bistro. Yanma managed to regain control of its flight, but the momentary loss of concentration was all the chance Pidgeotto needed. With a wide barrel roll she intercepted Yanma mid-dodge and bore her opponent to the ground.

"Pidgeooo!" she cried, exhausted in victory, "Pidgeot-TOOO!"

As the referee formally announced the result, Bugsy called back his pokémon. He said something encouraging to it before he pocketed the Ball. Pidgeotto fluttered off to perch on a tree branch to catch her breath.

"As a Gym Leader it's my duty to push challengers hard. That's why I always save my best pokémon for last," Bugsy declared, "The Bug pokémon warrior - I choose you Scyther!"

The scyther that took to the field was everything a scyther should be - fierce, barbaric, intimidating. He stood proudly in front of his trainer and raised his scythes to the sky, shouting a challenge as he did so. The evening sun shone a harsh gold on the blades. But it was the eyes that were the truly frightening – sharp, intense eyes, eyes that looked at you first as an adversary.

Eve thought fast, and decided to keep on battling with Pidgeotto. For all the exertion of the battle so far, she hadn't yet taken much damage and she would need her speed to counter Scyther's inevitable physical strength. _Seize the initiative._

"Pidgeotto, Gust, nice and strong!" she ordered. Pidgeotto leapt from her perch and threw out a powerful Gust. Despite being half Scyther's size she managed to force him to lose his footing, the same strong muscles that powered her flight lending strength to the Gust. Apparently sensing that Pidgeotto could keep him pinned this way, Scyther took flight, darting rapidly under the cone of the Gust.

"Quick, but not quick enough," Eve said, snapping her fingers at Bugsy, "Quick Attack!"

"Oh, Scyther doesn't need to fly faster," Bugsy answered as Pidgeotto closed in, "Aerial Ace!"

Fierce eyes fixed on Pidgeotto, Scyther swept his blade down in a savage diagonal arc. At the last moment Pidgeotto swerved out of the way, but spinning through nearly 360 degrees Scyther turned lightning-fast, intercepting perfectly on the upswing. Pidgeotto screeched in pain and alarm, collapsing onto the battlefield with an undignified roll.

Eve gasped in shock – there was a long cut across Pidgeotto's chest that was beginning to bleed freely. She didn't wait for the referee's inevitable ruling, instead recalling Pidgeotto immediately. The Fast Ball would effectively halt the bleeding and accelerate Pidgeotto's natural healing. "You did great," she told her, "And I'm very proud."

Even so, how was it that Scyther knocked Pidgeotto out with one strike? Either Scyther was much stronger than she had originally suspected or … _Twineedle. That Twineedle must have poisoned Pidgeotto._ She drew Lyra's Poké Ball from her pocket. Adrenaline made her heart thump almost painfully against her chest. Pitting a ledyba against a healthy scyther was not the sort of position she wanted to be backed into, even with a ledyba as feisty as her Lyra.

"You're my last hope," she murmured to her through the Poké Ball, "Lyra! You have the honour!"

Lyra materialised punching at the air again, undaunted by the prospect of facing a scyther. [Let's do this, Eve! C'mon guy, I ain't scared of you! Whaaaat?] she taunted.

"That's a pretty nice ledyba you've got there, Miss Joy," said Bugsy, "No way she's faster than my Scyther. Quick Attack, now!"

Scyther pushed off the ground, holding his right blade out in front of him like a cavalryman's sabre.

"Reflect!" Eve ordered. A small hexagonal pane appeared in front of Lyra, translucent blue like tinted glass. Others appeared around it, rapidly locking themselves together until they formed a hexagonal shield big enough for Lyra to hide behind. She had barely finished constructing the Reflect when Scyther's blade crashed through it, shattering a couple of the hexes as it did so.

_If Scyther knows Brick Break it's all over. _"Mach Punch, then get out of there!" Eve called. Lyra promptly punched Scyther in the eye and curled away under the reach of his blades to make her escape.

"Chase her down with Pursuit!" Bugsy called. Scyther had lost sight of Lyra, but Pursuit gave him instinctive knowledge of where she was. With a twist of the body and a burst of speed from the wings, Scyther tackled Lyra hard. The attack seemed to startle Lyra badly – she spun and threw a volley of Comet Punches, striking at the head and the arm joints below the blade. Still smart, even when her Rattled ability activates, Eve thought proudly.

"Finish this with Aerial Ace!" Bugsy ordered confidently.

"Protect!" Eve countered. She couldn't afford to let even one Aerial Ace land. The attack screeched off the shimmering green Protect.

"You can't Protect forever! Fury Cutter!" Bugsy refused to give Eve any breathing space. Down the Fury Cutters rained, green afterimages whirling in the wake of flashing blades. Reflect hexagons smashed and flew, cracks and rents opened up everywhere on Lyra's carapace. She showed no mercy herself, punching and jabbing whenever Scyther left an opening to exploit, but Eve could see that it just wasn't going to be enough. The one saving grace was that every time Fury Cutter hit, it also activated Lyra's Rattled ability. Lyra kept getting faster, fast enough to break Scyther's hitting streak and stop Fury Cutter from building power.

[No quarter! No giving up! Take this!] Lyra yelled, and threw another Comet Punch volley. Scyther drew a blade back, ready for an attack. Too late Eve recognised what it was about to do.

"Protect!" she yelled desperately. _Nooo, too late! _Scyther's blade flashed twice, and Lyra was sent flying into the branches of a cypress. She slipped to the ground through the evergreen leaves.

[No giving up … we can win this Eve!] she insisted, wings buzzing as she made her way slowly into the air. Eve blinked back tears, mixed adrenaline and fury blotting out her thoughts.

[What the?]

There was a curious snapping, zapping sound, soft but strangely distinctive. And Lyra started to glow a pure white. _Evolution …_

Like most people, Eve had seen evolution before, watching pokémon battles on TV. Most people knew how it worked on at least a basic level – through caring for pokémon, Eve had picked up some knowledge of the complexities. But it was nothing compared to seeing it happen right before your eyes … the transformation was beautiful, wondrous. A pulse of light burst from Lyra's glowing silhouette. Her body began to change shape, becoming sleeker, more streamlined. Her third pair of arms migrated down and developed proper feet, her four remaining arms grew longer. Her wings grew larger and took on a swept delta shape.

The glow faded, and Lyra was no longer a ledyba, but a ledian.

[Yea-heh-heh-eeeah!] she exulted, [I have _evolved! _Hey, pointy!] she called down at Scyther standing on the field below, [Guess what?]

Lyra flicked her wings inward, and an invisible blade carved its way through the battlefield. Scyther cried out in surprise as he was knocked off his feet. Lyra just laughed and attacked again, chasing Scyther with her new move.

"Air Cutter, a Flying-type attack. Classified as a Special attack, Air Cutter has a propensity for dealing unusally high damage."

_Air Cutter … _Eve laughed along with her feisty, loyal ledian. _We might just win this after all._

"Get it together, Scyther!" Bugsy shouted, "Use Fury Cutter!"

"Reflect! You can do it Lyra!"

The two pokémon met in the middle of the battlefield, spurred on by the orders and encouragement of their trainers. Scyther chopped and cut with savage skill, smashing hexes out of Lyra's Reflect almost as fast as she could renew it. Whenever he tried an Aerial Ace, Lyra blocked it with Protect and struck back with new, strong fists. Possibly no other ledian had ever fought him half as hard as Lyra did, Eve thought as she watched Lyra blast an Air Cutter across Scyther at point-blank range.

Shaving more hexes off Lyra's Reflect as it did so, Scyther laid down a flurry of Fury Cutters into Lyra's left side. His right blade swung up to a ready position; both Lyra and Eve spotted what was coming at the same time. _Fury Cutter was a feint! Nice try, Scyther._

"Protect!" she shouted, and Scyther's blade scraped violently clear of the Protect-bubble, throwing his arm out and opening up his guard. Lyra wasted no time, spinning round and throwing Mach Punches with both of her right fists. There was a sharp _crack_, like a pistol shot, and Scyther let out a deafening shriek. His blade was badly cracked, a large chip missing where the force of the blow had smashed the edge away.

"Stop!" Bugsy shouted, "That's enough. I concede defeat."

"What?" Eve said. Then she spotted Scyther trying to cradle his injured arm. "Oh ..."

"Scyther, return. We'll get that blade fixed up soon," Bugsy ordered. He crossed over the field, smiling regretfully, while Eve's heart thudded with the adrenaline still running through her system.

"I don't need to tell you, of all challengers, that it would be irresponsible of me to have Scyther fight on with an injury like that. Congratulations, Miss Joy. You have a new ledian. And you have earned this," Busgy said, holding out a bright new Hive Badge.

_Take it, you fool._ Eve took the Badge and squeezed it in her hand.

"Lyra! _Lyra!_ We did it, we won the Badge!" she wrapped her arms around her laughing pokémon, dancing a little victory-dance. She looked up at the sound of applause, and there was Josh, clapping and looking at her with – what? Was that admiration?

Eve raised her hand invitingly. Moments like this called for a high-five. And because life is never quite that neat, they almost missed.

* * *

They were the last two people to walk down Old Village high street that evening. A golden afternoon had given way to a warm evening as the sun set in splendour. Thousands of azalea blossoms, magenta, orange and white, nodded in the late breeze that twitched and tugged at bright little lamppost banners.

"The way you dealt with Yanma was incredible," Josh enthused as they ambled their way down the street, "I was starting to think nothing would work then you won in three moves! _And_ you got rid of Light Screen and Toxic Spikes in doing so! Clever tactics, Eve."

"You're sweet to say so, but I told you, I don't plan these moves," Eve replied, smiling a little sheepishly. In the aftermath of her Gym Battle, with the Hive Badge pinned temporarily to her jacket, she was as happy as she'd ever been. Right now even the immanent prospect of the Pokémon Centre - with an aunt and two teenage cousins in the full flowering of their bitchiness – even that couldn't annoy her. Still, there was a nagging voice in her head that she couldn't quite ignore, a voice that had been quietly chirping away all afternoon -

"We should celebrate our Badges," she said, "I say we split a bottle of red."

"A bottle of red!" Josh cried in mock outrage, "Eve, Azalea Town is no Longwater but it's still cider country."

"You can't celebrate with cider! Ok, ok, how about brandy? A nice slow evening in that pub we saw yesterday."

"I'll have to grab my maps then. I still don't really know where I'm going next … Violet City, maybe."

There it was. The moment Eve had been trying to put off all day. Had Josh forgotten what that meant? Did he care?

_Tell him you don't want to part ways!_

_I don't even know that he likes me all that much!_

_The guy just spent the best part of three days in your company. Take a sodding guess!_

"Eve? Something wrong?" Josh asked. Eve realised she'd stopped dead to have an argument with herself. Josh was looking at her with a kind of puzzled concern.

"Oh, erm, no!" she said reflexively. He didn't look convinced, head cocked to one side as if he was trying to see her from a different angle. _Are you twelve or twenty-three? Ask him!_

"Come with me!" Eve blurted.

"... what?"

_No going back now. _"Come with me," she repeated, "On my journey. Our journey. I've really enjoyed spending time with you and I don't want to leave."

"Yes."

"I mean it's ok if you don't want to but - what?"

"I don't want to leave either. I've really enjoyed your company, it's been … it's been. Er."

There was an awkward silence. Neither of them could quite look the other in the eye. A flock of pidgey went fluttering by, heading back to their roost for the evening.

"I feel like we should do something," Josh said tentatively.

"Handshake?" Eve suggested.

"Too formal."

"High five?"

"Clichéd."

"Um …"

"Oh, to hell with it," Josh said, and in one smooth movement pulled her into a hug. Eve squeezed him back, and made a contented little growling noise. She felt Josh breathe a long, relaxed sigh, swinging her from side to side a little before they broke apart.

Eve couldn't help but break the silence. "Come with me, the time is right! There's no better teeeam!" she sang at him.

"Shut up!" he laughed, giving her a playful shove.

"Arm in arm, we'll win the fight, it's always been our dreeeam!" she continued with exaggerated passion, slipping her arm round his.

Later, Eve would remember it as a perfect moment.


	13. Forging a Friendship

**Chapter Eleven – Forging a Friendship**

_**Joshua**_

From here the forest seemed to stretch on forever, nothing but mist-shrouded trees marching endlessly into the far distance. The southern side of the forest was dominated by oak and hornbeam, tough old branches frosted with a flush of young spring foliage. Further north, the conifers took over, pine and fir and the great redwoods of the Heartwood. The trees in those groves were the tallest in Johto; they towered up to three hundred feet tall, almost otherworldly clad in their misty cloaks.

Stood with Eve on the foredeck of the paddle-ferry, their new travel backpacks resting on the deck beside them, Josh mentally went over the route ahead one last time. They had decided to head for the Violet City Gym, in a circuitous sort of way, first taking the paddle-ferry from Longwater up the River Esk to Withy End. At Withy End, the Esk was joined by the Withywindle flowing down out of the otherworldly Heartwood. Through the Heartwood, round the Lake of Life Reserve and on through the Ilex Forest to Len Town, following trainer's trails along the way – Josh had chosen that path himself, and Eve had cheerfully accepted it.

The ferry paddled on at her gentle pace, as patient and unhurried as the river itself. She was a quaintly handsome vessel, not so much a ferry as a floating bed and breakfast. Eighteen cabins, a dining room-slash-bar and a tiny shower block were crammed aboard, along with the open foredeck at the bow. It seemed that in defiance of the modern age, steam driven paddle-ferries like this were still one of the easiest and cheapest ways for people to travel in this part of the world.

In many ways, sailing on the Esk was like travelling back in time a hundred years. The river meandered right through the middle of Eskershire; almost every town and village along its banks had a quay or landing stage of some sort to accommodate river traffic. The shire was what Josh liked to think of as 'patchwork quilt country', that part of rural Johto characterised by the distinctive patchwork of fields divided by hawthorn hedges. They had boarded the ferry with a few other trainers at Longwater two days ago, killing time with battling, training, and in Josh's case, studying battle theory. Once or twice Josh teamed up with Eve to fight a double battle – in the evening, they talked about nothing much, forging their friendship one conversation at a time.

Inevitably, last night they ended up having their first fight.

* * *

It was a clear, chilly night, tinted yellow by the soft glow of the ferry's lamps. The deck along the sides of the boat was a narrow strip hardly more than three feet wide, hemmed in by the cabins on one side and the river on the other. The captain – a kindly old soul with a beard you could lose a furret in – had decided on the spur of the moment to treat his passengers to a barbecue on the foredeck. Josh nodded to a few of the other trainers as he made his way to Eve's cabin near the stern. She would enjoy this, no doubt – Josh hadn't met anyone who could demolish a burger half as quickly as Eve could.

"Hey Eve, it's me!" he called loudly, with a firm knock for good measure. A muffled curse came from inside, followed by some hurried clothy noises and what sounded like the whirr of a zipper. Eve wrenched the door open a moment later.

"What?" she said shortly. She had her long-sleeved black polo shirt on, and her cheeks looked rather flushed.

"Er, the captain's got a barbecue going and since you haven't had any dinner yet … I can come back," he said. Eve gave him a glazed look, like she was thinking about something else entirely.

"No. No, I'd rather hang out anyway," she said eventually, "Give me a minute to get dressed."

"I'll be on deck," Josh said, and headed back to the foredeck. He assembled a burger for her while he waited. _Mustard, she likes a lot of mustard._

Eve managed a smile and mumbled thanks when she joined him a few minutes later. She'd exchanged her burgundy coat for a sleeveless jacket, forest green with vertical rows of three Poké Ball clasps on either side of the chest. The green matched her brown trousers but clashed absurdly with her pink hair.

"Looking good Eve," Josh lied, "The jacket suits you."

"Thanks. It's a gilet," she corrected with her trademark wink. Food seems to have improved her mood, Josh thought as they fell to their usual aimless chatting. That, and the captain's apparently endless repetoire of tall tales.

"... This is what he said, no word of a lie, 'Ladies and gentlemen. I fear the boat is sinking. Would there be anyone among you skilled in prayer?'

The passengers nodded sagely to themselves, aye, prayer's just the thing at a time like this. Anyhow, up steps a young clergyman, and he says, 'Yes captain, I have some small skill in prayer.'

And the captain replies – no word of a lie, I was right there – 'Excellent! You just stand there and pray, while I hand round the life vests. We're one short!'"

A scattered ripple of laughter went round the deck. "Oh, by the way," Josh said to Eve, "If there's a Pokémon Centre at Arborville I'll need to visit the library," he sighed heavily, "I wish these books weren't so damn heavy. I could carry more of them on the road then."

"Will you quit studying theory so hard and relax? Why don't you just get a Pokédex if the books are too heavy?" Eve said flippantly.

"Easy for _you_ to say."

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"It's supposed to mean that it's easy for you to 'just get a Pokédex'," Josh replied sharply. The scowl forming on Eve's face was getting on his nerves, "Do you think that temporary office work pays well? I didn't have the privilege of Pokémon Centre wages."

"So it was easy for me was it?" Eve demanded, fury edging her voice.

"Easier than trying to stay employed in Mulberry Town? Yes, I should think so!" Josh retorted. People were beginning to notice the raised voices. Josh ignored them. He wasn't going to put up with a slight like this, not from Eve.

"Are you seriously trying to tell me that you couldn't find better work? You, an intelligent guy? Bollocks. You just weren't trying hard enough!"

"That's exactly what I'm saying! Not that _you'd_ have any idea what it's like to actually compete for a job, Evelina Joy!You have a high-status job waiting for you whenever you want it!" Eve opened her mouth to shout back but he cut her off, "And I can do without your condescension – don't you dare call me indolent you middle-class snob!"

Eve looked as though she'd very much like to hit him, her fists clenched, the shadow of a snarl on her face. One of her canines glinted fiercely. _Bring it on Joy, I'll damn well bite you back._

Eve growled her fury at him and stormed off back to her cabin, leaving a hush in her wake. The sidelong looks and sotto voce commentaries of the other passengers drove Josh to the empty scrap of deck space at the bow. He leaned against the rail, looking out onto the ink-dark river, ignoring the rising conversation behind him. _How dare she! How could she?_

The biggest shock of Josh's life had been learning that, in Mulberry Town at least, being employed had little to do with merit. All of his certificates of education, his bacculaureate in Modern Kalosian … ironically they had turned out to be a liability rather than an asset. Nobody wanted a fresh-faced clerk when there were any number of experienced adminstrators competing for the same work. Shops and bars turned him away just the same, under the strange assumption that he was too intelligent for the job. _Maybe if I bashed my head on this rail hard enough I can become stupid enough to be employable._

So he'd got by with what sporadic temporary work he could find. The spotty work history did him few favours, he barely made any money after Dad took his fair share, and above all the boredom and resentment piled up. Until the day he snapped, quit, and became a pokémon trainer.

Obviously Eve didn't understand this any more than Dad did. She was a Joy from thriving, bright, Cherrygrove City; her name had a history of honour and respect. He was an overqualified Cook from post-industrial Mulberry Town; his name meant nothing at all.

"She really pushed your buttons, eh Cook?" the captain said, joining him at the bow.

"You could say that."

"Beer was made for times like this. On me, son," the captain said, pressing a lukewarm can into Josh's hands, "You know, I've been sailing up and down this river since I was your age. Seen, oh, must be hundreds of couples in that time -"

"We're not a couple," Josh interjected.

"Couple o'friends," he replied, not missing a beat, "Couple of inseperable friends. My wife, God rest her soul, she always knew which of the hundreds of couples would stay together."

"Thank you for your concern, captain," Josh said stiffly, "But -"

"You can take old Hoster's advice or you can leave it, son. But you'd be wise to kiss and make up, shake hands, whatever. A fight like that's not worth feeling awful about."

Captain Hoster left him there at the bow, sipping the warm beer and staring at the river. In their twos and threes the other passengers drifted back to their cabins. The red heat of his anger drained away, leaving behind a horrible resentful sadness. He found himself listening for footsteps on the foredeck behind him.

When they did come, they were surprisingly quiet.

"Josh, I'm sorry," Eve muttered. She looked the way he felt – resentful and sad.

"... I'm sorry too," he said. There was a lump in his throat, "What I said wasn't fair. I'm sorry."

They stared at each other's eyes for a long moment, each unsure what to say to the other. Eventually, Eve drew something out of her pocket.

"I had this made for you in Azalea. A little thank you for giving me a great idea. Meant to give it you earlier, but I kind of forgot ..." she opened her hand. A reduced Poké Ball lay in her palm, its upper hemisphere pink rather than red.

"A Love Ball?" Josh said.

"Don't read into it."

"So you don't like me?" Josh joked.

"If I didn't like you, I wouldn't want to travel with you," Eve said in a tight little voice. For the first time since he had met her, Eve sounded almost … vulnerable.

"Friends?" she asked.

"Friends."

* * *

It was past noon by the time they reached their last stop at Withy End. The village was perched at the junction of the River Esk and its tributary, the Withywindle. Most of the village was on the right hand side of the Withywindle, along with the red brick landing stage. Weeping willows dipped their long, tendrilly branches into the water, overhanging the landing stage like huge umbrellas. Eve insisted on taking a photo once they'd disembarked, perhaps trying to be a bit too hard to be friendly after the last night's argument. The photo showed them side by side, Josh with his arm around Eve's shoulders, dappled by spots of sunlight that found their way through the willowy canopy.

It was about a fifteen mile walk to the next town – Arborville, by the Arbor Falls where the Withywindle flowed down out of the Heartwoods over a cliff. They followed the path on the right hand side of the river, walking by orchards for the first six miles or so. After that, it was thick woodland both left and right.

The afternoon's walk was an undemanding one, despite the new weight of their backpacks. They strolled along at an easy pace, taking long breaks to exercise their pokémon. Pidgeotto now liked Eve enough to fly to her wrist on command. Eve cemented their bond by christening her Gail. "Because her Gusts are so strong," she declared.

Late in the afternoon Josh happened upon a troupe of five bellossom in a ferny glade. Captivated, he'd watched them dance until a sixth bellossom appeared at his feet and challenged him to battle in its high, sweet voice. It was taller than the others, the rafflesia blooms on its head a deep, lusty red. Curiously, this bellossom wielded Leaf Blade like a sabre fencer, dipping a graceful curtsey before drawing its Leaf Blade. The sight of it had melted Josh's heart into a warm puddle, it was so unbearably cute.

As it turned out, catching Bellossom was much easier said than done. The first Poké Ball Josh threw was rent into two ragged, sparking halves by Bellossom's Leaf Blade. His second throw overshot by a good foot, bounced of a rock hidden somewhere in the undergrowth, and struck one of the five still-dancing bellossom in the back of the head, swiftly enveloping it with a flash of red. The Ball hardly rattled before bursting open again. Josh found himself being driven off with a storm of razor-edged Petal Dance; apparently the other bellossom decided to interpret his mis-throw as a sneak attack.

The woods rose steadily up as they drew closer to the high conifers and stately redwoods of Arborville. A fine day gave way to cloudy evening twilight; beneath the towering trees it was like walking through a gloomy, roofless hall. Cloudy skies brought on an early sunset, the world fading to dark shades of shadow grey. Josh noticed that Eve started walking closer to him, and he was glad that she did.

Nightfall was not far away when Josh stepped off the path to pee. The spaces between the tree boles felt uncomfortably wide. Josh squared up to a handy pine and unzipped, resolving to finish this task as soon as possible – he didn't much like turning his back on the woods. He couldn't help glancing around cautiously, irrational though it was. Both Bulbasaur and Screwball were within easy reach at his belt, after all. A light spring rain had been falling off and on for the past hour.

"Are you finished yet? Let's go, I don't want to stand around in the rain!" Eve called from the path.

"Don't talk to me, I cannot go if you talk to me!" Josh shouted over his shoulder.

Thunder boomed, and the heavens opened up, cold rain sheeting down like it was personal. Both Josh and Eve let out cries of wordless dismay. Hurriedly stowing himself away, Josh experienced a brief second of pure panic as something got caught. He ran back to the path muttering imprecations against the capriciousness of zips.

"We'll get soaked!" Eve yelled, trying to shelter under a tree, "Quick, under a tree!"

"Won't work! Not enough cover from these pines!" Josh countered.

"What do you suggest then, clever clogs?"

"We should be about half a mile from Arborville! Let's make a break for it!"

"Aaagh, alright!" Eve ran off along the path, Josh chasing close behind. They splashed noisily through rapidly-forming puddles on the gravel path. In the gathering dark, left and right were beginning to look the same, but for where the beam of Eve's torch illuminated the silvery curtain of hammering rain. Josh's jacket and jeans were already wet through.

"Why does this keep happening to me?" Josh roared.

Raindrops were clustering thickly on the lenses of Josh's glasses, turning his vision into a confused blur. It occurred to him that at this rate he could very likely end up running full pelt into the Withywindle and not know it till he fell in. "Eve! Eve!" he called, "Eve, slow down, I can't see!"

"Oh for God's sake," Eve said, grabbing his hand, "Come on!"

They awkwardly ran hand in hand down the last furlong, Eve towing Josh along behind her. Blurrily, Josh got the impression of monolithically tall trees, those stately giants that he had seen far off from the deck of the ferry. Lights spilling from the windows of the town refracted through the raindrops on his glasses – if he looked over the top of them he could just make out the heights of the Arbor Falls, the hundred-foot falls rendered unremarkable by the indistinct arboreal giants nearby.

Eve stopped with an abrupt splash. "Where the hell is the Pokémon Centre?" she yelled, looking round in every direction, "This way!"

She grabbed Josh by the hand again and dragged him into a nearby building. Light and warmth doused him, and as he huffed down air to recover from the mad run, he realised that Eve had pulled him into an inn rather than the Pokémon Centre. They looked at each other, each soaked through, Josh half-blind, Eve's hair hanging limply, and simultaneously started giggling breathlessly. Eve gently removed Josh's glasses. Josh couldn't help but wince – he didn't like people touching his glasses without asking.

Eve seemed to pick up on this. "Everything ok?" she asked.

"Fine, fine," Josh replied. For some reason, he felt that Eve should be an exception. She carefully wiped them clear of water and set them back on his nose. "Thank you," he said, feeling a little taken aback.

The inn's lobby had a homely, traditional look to it, old wood panelled walls and flagstone floor offset by the obviously modern reception desk. The receptionist behind the desk was a middle-aged woman, wearing a sensible cardigan and a welcoming smile.

"Good evening. Are you looking for somewhere to stay this evening?" she said, "The Pokémon Centre is a good thirty minute walk from here," she added cunningly.

"Shall we just stay here for the night?" Eve said immediately. _Almost too quickly. Maybe she doesn't want to deal with her relatives._

"If you like," Josh said. There was a flicker of relief in his friend's eyes.

"Would that be singles, or a double?" the receptionist asked.

"Double," Eve said.

"Eve!" Josh snapped.

"Singles," Eve corrected, giggling. Despite himself, Josh laughed along with her.

* * *

Sat cross-legged at the head of the bed, Josh took a sip of hot chocolate. It had been Eve's idea, and a rather good one at that. After a shower and a change into his pyjamas, Eve had turned up at his door with a mug in each hand. She was laid back on the bed beside him, clad in a blue hoodie dress that served as nightwear, scrolling through the menu of her Pokédex.

"Bellossom, the Flower Pokemon. When these pokémon move, their petals rub together, creating a pleasant ringing sound."

"Carry on?" Eve asked.

"Mmhm."

"Johto's largest population of bellossom inhabit the Ilex Forest area, ranging from the Lake of Life through the majority of the Heartwood. Concentrations of Sun Stone within the topsoil of this area support this high rate of evolution, the highest rate of natural bellossom evolution outside of the Hoenn region. Unusually for their species, the bellossom troupes of the Ilex Forest area tend to be aggressive in their usage of Leaf Blade. Individuals have been known to wield their Leaf Blades in a manner similar to the style of nineteenth-century sabre fencers. How such distinctly human behaviour could be learned and passed down across generations of bellossom is not yet fully understood, but it is thought that like many anthropomorphic pokémon, bellossom mimic useful behaviours they observe in humans."

Eve carried on idly scrolling through her Pokédex while Josh quietly finished his hot chocolate. The downpour lashed against the windows, now a cosy reminder that they were both warm and dry for the night. _Ok, let's recap. There's a girl lying next to me wearing mostly a hoodie. I'm in my pyjamas, and this is, for all intents and purposes, my bed. By rights I should be feeling nervous, and yet I'm not._

It had only been a week since their chance meeting in Azalea Town, and yet Josh felt as though he had known Eve for much longer. Maybe it was the length of time they had spent together so far – after all, there hadn't been a lot of moments during that week where they had been apart. Truth be told Josh more than liked Eve as a person, he admired the way she dealt with life. She seemed to have a complete disregard for expectations others had of her; Eve did exactly as she pleased and was happy doing it.

Eve shut her Pokédex with a click. The silvery, liquid rattle of the rain was the loudest sound in the room.

"Hey, Josh," Eve said. Josh looked down at Eve lying beside him. She looked back up at him with a serious, slightly sad expression.

"About last night … we're ok, aren't we?" she said.

"Yeah. Yeah, of course."

Eve was quiet for a moment. She wouldn't look at him, instead looking down at her own hands. "It's just … look, I know that some things are easier for me. You're right, I have a job waiting for whenever I want it," Eve sighed and fiddled with her hoodie, "Being a Joy means everyone think your choices are _their _business. All I want is to be my own woman, make my own choices, for _me_. Maybe someday I will go to nursing college and take my place in a Pokémon Centre. But I _won't_ do it to be a dutiful daughter!"

Eve looked back up at Josh, a complicated look on her face – partly sad, partly fierce, and partly something else entirely. "I took it out on you last night, and I'm sorry," she said.

"Eve … I really am sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you the way I did."

"So we're really ok?"

"I don't want to fight," Josh said emphatically, "Forgive me?"

"Forgiven," Eve smiled, "Are we ok enough for a hug?"

"Come here, you."

Eve scrambled into a sitting position and slipped her arms around his middle. She had a forceful way of hugging him, squeezing rather than just holding. Josh folded his arms around her back.

"From now on, let's just say how we feel," Eve murmered, without breaking away.

"Deal. I don't want to fight again."

"You promise?"

"I promise."


End file.
